Kidnapped
by ZizhunWriter
Summary: Modern day AU in which Bae gets kidnapped along with Belle, who was trying to save him. Mr. Gold does everything he can to find his son.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I do not own Once Upon a Time. Also, this is my first story. Constructive criticism is welcomed, but completely bashing my work is not. I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

She saw the young boy run out into the street before his father did. She watched the truck slam on its brakes to avoid the child as she ran forward, faster than she ever had before. She slammed into him and wrapped her arms around him as they fell toward the pavement. A scream was torn from her mouth as she felt pain in her knees and arms where she had roughly scraped them against the asphalt.

The driver got out, and cursed. "I can't believe I almost ran over the child I was supposed to kidnap."

"What?" she questioned in shock, and the boy's eyes grew huge with fear. The man responded by trying to pull him out of his savior's arms, but she refused to let go. She refused to let a child be kidnapped. However, the truck driver only had a minute, if that, before someone would be there to stop him, so he picked her up and flung her and the boy into the passenger seat. He got in and sped off, narrowly missing hitting the father and other pedestrians who had run into the road to make sure they were okay.

"I guess I've got two prisoners instead of one. It makes no difference to me. In fact, I might even get more money for this." He chuckled cruelly, but only succeeded in making the little boy start crying. "Shut up," he bellowed, and when that got him nowhere except a stern glare from the tag along, he decided he was far enough away from the scene of the crime. He pulled over, and picked them both up, throwing them into the back of the moving truck before continuing on his way.

The woman just breathed for a few minutes, trying to figure out what to say to him as the young boy sobbed in her arms. Finally, she realized she had to say something. "Shh, it'll be okay," she soothed, and let him continue to soak her tee shirt with his tears.

The boy looked up at her, his eyes still wet. "Are you sure? But you're hurt," he pointed out to her. She inspected her forearms and knees more closely, realizing she had nearly scraped the skin off everything that had touched the road. She was bleeding, and her injuries hurt her quite a bit, but she was glad it hadn't been worse. At least she hadn't been run over.

"Don't worry, my injuries aren't too bad," she reassured him. "and, I'm sure your father is looking for us, and mine will be soon," she informed him, and the little boy giggled at the thought of a grown woman having a father, but it soon turned back into tears. "It'll be okay, they'll rescue us." She hugged him closer, and tried to think of ways her father had tried to calm her down when she was younger. She hadn't had much experience with children, so all she had to go on was the example he had set with her, which thankfully was an extremely good one. She remembered him calling her by name a lot when she was upset, and that had always helped a little. "What's your name?" she asked.

He was able to stop the catches in his breath long enough to say, "Baden," before succumbing to them again.

"Well Baden, I'm Belle, and it's very nice to meet you, even if it is under such circumstances." He looked up at her, and the hiccups in his breathing stopped, even though tear drops continued to flow down his face.

"No, you're _Miss_ Belle. Papa always says to either call grownups miss or mister. Some girls are called misses, but that always confuses me. Anyways, I have to be polite and call you Miss Belle, unless I should call you Misses Belle?"

"It's just miss," She told Baden, who was staring at her sternly for not having manners, a situation she would have found hilariously adorable had she not recently been kidnapped. "I'm not married."

"Oh," the little boy exclaimed as he realized the difference. "But what do you call boys who aren't married?"

"Boys are called mister whether or not they are married."

Baden scrunched up his face, trying to understand the logic behind that, but he soon gave up. "That doesn't make any sense."

Belle chuckled slightly. "I know. That's just the way the world is sometimes." The young boy nodded, and then yawned. His father had just been taking him home from dinner, and it was almost his bedtime. The late hour plus the emotional stress put on him left Baden exhausted. "I think it's time to sleep," she told him, only for him to shake his head violently.

"No. I can't sleep now, or I'll have nightmares and Daddy won't be here to chase them away." The fear in his eyes melted Belle's heart, but she knew he would need his rest for the trials of the next day.

"Alright, well, let's start with a bedtime story, and see what happens from there." He nodded, and snuggled in closer to her, half expecting her to pull a book out of thin air. However, Belle was an aspiring author, and as such, she was capable of making up her own story.

"This is the story of the Dream Catchers," she informed him. "They are warriors, who fight nightmares and take them out of children's heads, locking them up. However, that is only half of their job. They also hunt down the good dreams, and lead them into the minds of those who need them …"

Soon Baden was asleep, safe in the knowledge that the Dream Catchers would protect him. As Belle drifted off to join the young boy sleeping on her lap, she wondered why she had so little interaction with kids before.

* * *

Robert Gold, father of Baden Gold, almost instantly regretted his decision to let Bae prove he was a big boy who could stay near his papa without holding his hand. He vowed never to make the same mistake again, if he was ever given the chance to try again. After his son's kidnapping, he had been forced to talk with several officers about any possible suspects for the kidnapping. Honestly, the whole thing had gone by in a blur for him, but now he was at the door to his house, three hours after the event.

It was only now that he was away from everyone that he broke down crying. His son, his dear Bae, had been ripped from him, and he couldn't stop it. He could do nothing but feel weak and guilty. How dare he go home and rest when Bae was in trouble, being threatened by some scary goon? How dare he sleep in a warm, comfy bed when all his son would get was a metal floor? No, he could not rest until his son was back in his arms.

He unlocked the door to his house and went over to his computer. He started to pour over every file of his employees and customers alike, marking everyone who might have a problem with the owner of Golden Fabrics. He sat, armed only with determination, a pen, and coffee as he scribbled suspects' names on a piece of paper, underlining the more likely ones. The sooner he found the culprit, the sooner his son would be safe.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Some people have asked me if this was my first story, or the first Once Upon a Time fan fiction story.** **It is my first Once Upon a Time story, but it is also the first story I have put online for others to read. I have written other things before, but no one outside of my family has read them. Also, I will try to update at least once a week, if not more often. I hope you enjoy chapter two!**

* * *

Mrs. Lucas was surprised when she heard the familiar tap of Mr. Gold's cane one hour before he usually arrived for work. As his secretary, she noticed when he entered every day, and he never came in before 8:30. He came into view, and walked up to her desk.

"Good morning, Mr. Gold," she greeted. "Is someone else going to drop Baden off at kindergarten today?"

Mr. Gold visibly flinched. "Cancel all appointments I have for today, and do not disturb me unless the police contact you or the building is on fire." Then, he went into his office, and slammed the door instead of answering his secretary's innocent question.

He leaned against the wall for a second to catch his breath. He knew he would eventually have to tell Mrs. Lucas that his son had been kidnapped, but he was nowhere near ready for that, especially when she mentioned him unexpectedly. Mr. Gold did a sweeping glance around his seemingly cluttered office. To the casual observer, it would seem like a random assortment of knick-knacks, but he knew where every object was, and could easily tell when something had been moved by a janitor, and he would notice instantly if anything was out of place.

Which was why, in one sweeping glance, he immediately noticed the folded piece of paper on his desk. He limped over and plucked it from the many other documents scattered across his desk. He unfolded it, and immediately recognized the handwriting.

He let out a cry of anger and grabbed the closest thing, which happened to be a ceramic doll that Bae thought creepy. He threw it with all of his might, and it crashed into the door, breaking into a million pieces. He picked up the only other doll in the room, and sent it to follow its partner. It smashed into the door as it swung open.

"Mr. Gold, you need to calm down," Mrs. Lucas yelled as she took refuge behind the partially opened door. She had seen her employer angry before, but this was even worse than the night of his divorce.

"You know, you're right dearie," he informed her, and she relaxed slightly. "I have no time to be angry." He pocketed the piece of paper and brushed past her out the door.

"Mr. Gold, where are you going?" Mrs. Lucas questioned as he made his way to the elevator.

"I'll be gone for a while, and I have no idea when I'll be back. If I don't show up in the morning, just cancel my appointments for the day. Oh, and when the police come looking for me, please give them this along with my sincere apology." At the end of his instructions, he handed Mrs. Lucas his cell phone.

"Sir, what is going on?" she asked as she stepped in front of him. She wasn't about to let her employer go up against the police when he had no track record, and it would ruin the business as well as his relationship with Baden.

"My son's been kidnapped and I am getting him back," Mr. Gold said, which shocked her enough to let him push past her onto the elevator. As the door closed off her view of him, she wondered what she was going to tell her granddaughter, Ruby, who was Baden's friend; and who would kidnap such a sweet little boy.

* * *

Belle's eyes flew open as soon as the truck came to a stop. Something about the engine turning off could always wake Belle up when she slept in a car. However, Baden was still fast asleep in her lap. She decided to wake him up before the kidnapper did, so he would at least be greeted by a friendly face.

"Baden, time to wake up," she said at a conversational volume.

"Five more minutes Papa," he muttered, and snuggled in closer to her.

"Baden, you have to wake up now," she said, a little louder this time. He rubbed his eyes and looked up at her, the grouchy look changing to shock when he saw her face. Baden sat up quickly, and looked around the empty truck.

"You're not Papa. Where am I?" he asked, obviously forgetting the events of last night.

"Remember me? I'm Miss Belle. We were kidnapped together," she informed him gently.

"Oh yeah, and my papa is going to come and find us soon." Baden's head was starting to dispel the fog of sleep, and he remembered Belle telling him that last night. He smiled up at her, sure that they would be rescued any second now and he would be able to tell his Papa about her.

She smiled back at the young boy, much less optimistic about being found, but feigning it for his sake. "Yes, and then I can meet your father and tell him how brave you've been." Baden beamed at her praise, but before he could tell her anything else, the door was opened by the kidnapper, who was holding a gun.

"If I were you, I would come without putting up a fight. You'll just make things worse for yourselves." Baden started to shake with fear from seeing their kidnapper. Belle scooped him up into her arms, and ignoring her own wobbly legs, got out of the truck. Due to her skinned knees, she almost collapsed when she got out, but was able to catch herself before she did. For whatever reason, he let her hold Baden as he lead her to their destination.

At least she got a good look around before she was forced inside, but it didn't do her much good. Judging by the position of the sun, it was about 7:00 am, so they had been in the truck for roughly 10 hours. However, it did nothing to indicate the direction they had gone or how far they were from home. She also noticed that they were in a wooden cabin in the middle of the woods. It would be unlikely that anyone would find them in the middle of nowhere, and trying to escape would be more dangerous than it was worth. Not only would their captor try and kill them, but even if they made it, there was no guarantee that they would survive for long in the wilderness, especially since winter was almost there. Belle would have to be extremely clever to escape.

The truck driver forced them into the cabin, and opened up a trapdoor to a basement with one hand. His other hand held the gun, which was aimed at Belle. "Get in," he ordered. Belle set Baden down and asked him to go down the ladder first, since she couldn't climb while carrying him. Baden obliged, while keeping his distance from the man. Belle followed right after him, and the kidnapper slammed the trapdoor as soon as she was in. She heard the click as he locked them in.

"Don't worry, the man who paid me to kidnap the boy should be here soon, and he'll bring you food." Then, he left the cabin and headed back to his truck, smiling to himself at the thought of the money that would be added to his bank account as soon as his employer saw he had delivered the boy.

Meanwhile, down in the basement, Baden was freaking out. It was dark and creepy down there, and he was scared that monsters would jump out and eat them any second. Not only that, but he was afraid that if he confided his fears in Miss Belle, she would no longer think he was brave, and he wanted her to think the best of him. So, Baden tried to keep his fears to himself, until he felt something brush against his arm.

The little boy screamed and jumped backward away from the monster. "Baden, it's okay, it's just me," Belle told him. She gently reached out, and this time when she found him, he hugged her and started crying. Some of his salty tears hit her forearms, and the pain she had been trying to ignore was forced to the forefront of her mind. She hugged him closer, to comfort him and keep the salty tears away from her tender arms.

"Miss Belle, I'm scared," he sobbed into her shirt. "I want to be brave, but I'm just too scared."

Belle rocked him back and forth. She knew the motion calmed down young children, and she hoped it still worked on Baden. "It's okay Baden. Everyone gets scared, but if you do the brave thing, bravery will follow."

"Really?" he questioned. "But how does that work?"

"Do you think I was brave with the kidnapper?"

"Of course! You were amazing. I wish I could be that brave." He started to sniff, and the tears started to come out faster.

"Well, I was terrified." Belle heard the sniffling stop.

"You were?"

"Yes, but I did the brave thing. I didn't let my fear show. And maybe, eventually, I'll be brave enough to not be scared of him."

"Well then, I'll try to be brave too!" Baden said, determination in his voice. He would be brave for Miss Belle, to make things easier on her and so his papa would be proud when he rescued them.

"I'm sure you'll become one of the bravest people ever, Baden," Belle encouraged.

Up until that moment, Baden's papa had been the only one aloud to call him Bae, but right then, he really needed to hear the term of endearment to help him be brave. So, he requested something from Belle that he had never asked anyone else to do before. "Miss Belle, you can call me Bae."

"Alright, Bae. Since we are now on first name basis, will you please call me Belle, without the miss?"

"Okay, I can do that."

Before Bae could ask her if there was a story about people who defeated monsters that dwelt in the dark, they heard the creak of floorboards above them.

"Hello, Baden," a stranger's voice penetrated into the basement. "I'm so glad to finally meet you. We are going to have so much_ fun_." Sarcasm dripped from his voice, and it sent a chill up Belle's spine. Whatever was going to happen next, she had a feeling it would be anything but fun, for herself or Baden.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: If you have not seen through season 3A, there may be some spoilers. I am using some characters that don't come in until season two and the beginning of season three, and although this is an alternate universe, I might spoil some things. Sorry for not realizing that sooner. Also, Mrs. Mills is Cora, not Regina. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Moe French sat in his chair, staring back at the police officer. He had come into the police station to report his daughter missing, only to discover that she had been kidnapped. The police had been unable to identify her until he provided them with her name and what she looked like. It had been less than 24 hours ago when his little girl had been kidnapped, and they assured him they were doing everything they could to find her.

"Mr. French, do you know anyone who would want to injure you or your daughter?" Officer Hunter questioned him. He was the one in charge of finding his daughter and the tiny boy who had been taken with her.

"No, I can't think of anyone." Just then, a police officer opened the door.

"Officer Hunter, a moment please?" After assuring the distraught father he would be right back, the officer took his leave.

Mr. French couldn't help but think that this was in some way his fault. Maybe one of his customers didn't like the quality of flowers he had delivered, and decided to get revenge. Maybe Garrett was mad that Belle had turned down his proposal. While both scenarios seemed unlikely, he was sure it was all his fault, and couldn't help but feel guilt. He buried his head in his hands just as the officer entered into the room.

"Mr. French, I have more news." He looked up, eager to see if his daughter had been found. "The father of the young boy, Mr. Gold, appears to have more knowledge than he has shared with us."

"But you'll get him to tell you, right? And then you'll find my daughter?" Hope surged through him. They had a lead.

"It's a little more complicated than that." Moe felt his hope disappear as quickly as it had come. "His secretary gave us his cell phone. For unknown reasons, he has decided to rescue his son on his own, without enlisting our aid. He left his car at his office, so he is avoiding us at the moment. It might take us some time to find him and figure out who had your daughter."

Mr. French looked the officer straight in the eye. "Look, I don't care what it takes. Follow every lead until you find my daughter."

"Don't worry, Mr. French. That's my job, and I will do it to the best of my ability."

As Mr. French left the police station, he felt a small sense of relief flow though his body. The police had two good leads; the license plate of the truck and this Mr. Gold. That, added to the knowledge that his daughter's capture wasn't his fault, made him feel slightly more optimistic. Surely it was only a matter of time before his daughter was found and returned safely to him.

* * *

Belle heard the lock click, and soon after the trapdoor swung open. "Come on out, Baden," their kidnapper ordered. Belle held out her hand to stop the little boy, and climbed out first. Her eyes were still adjusting to the light, but she could tell their captor was an older man.

"Who are you, and where is Baden?" he questioned, angry that the man he had hired was unable to tell a five-year-old boy from a grown woman.

"I'm right here," Baden said as bravely as he could muster as he climbed out of the basement. There was still a strong hint of fear in his voice, but he was trying his best to hold it down.

"Well then, would someone care to explain why I have an extra?" He looked between the two of them, and Belle decided to inform him of the situation before he got violent.

"When Baden was kidnapped, I tried to save him. I wouldn't let go of him, so the truck driver just took me as well. He thought you'd be pleased with an extra prisoner." The kidnapper thought about it, and decided the truck driver was right. At the least, he could use this girl as a maid, so he could spend more time with Baden.

"Very well, what's your name, then?"

"Belle," she informed him. A twisted smile formed on his face.

"That name suits you. You are, indeed, a beauty," he said, before turning to his other prisoner. "Baden, I am so glad I finally get to meet you."

"I don't even know you!" Baden yelled, and he started to back away. He wished his Papa was here to protect you.

"Oh, I'm sorry. How forgetful of me. You can call me Grandpa." He grinned at the horrified boy.

"I know my Grandpa, and he's a lot nicer than you. For starters, he would never kidnap me. Also, he wouldn't let Belle stay hurt without giving her a band aid or something."

"You know, people can have two grandfathers. I am the grandfather on your father's side. You can call me Grandpa Peter if you wish, but you will call me Grandpa," he threatened, glaring down at Baden.

"Or what?" Baden questioned even though he feared the answer.

"I've got an idea. You seem to be attached to Belle. Every time you disobey me, she will have another chore to do. I'm sure you'll want to spend time with her, and some of the chores might be painful, given her skinned knees." He let that information sink in. "So, what do you say we go play a game of catch?"

"Alright … Grandpa," Baden complied. They started to walk out of the cabin, when the man turned around, as if just remembering something.

"We don't need you for this activity," he told Belle. Soon, Belle was in the basement, and the last thing she saw before the trapdoor was closed and locked was Bae's fear-filled eyes. "Come on, let's get going," she heard the captor say, and soon, they were out of the house.

Belle hoped Baden would be okay. At least their captor didn't seem to be in a violent mood and hadn't hurt her or Bae.

But, at least for now, she couldn't worry about Baden. She had to figure out if there was an alternate entrance to the basement she could use to escape once Baden returned from the forced game of catch. She wasn't going to sit around and wait to be rescued if she could find a way out by herself.

* * *

Mr. Gold was pacing back and forth in front of her office, becoming angrier with every passing second. She had kept him waiting for half an hour, and even though he knew that wasn't an unreasonable length of time, she had been known to keep him waiting for hours, just to mess with him. He didn't have time for such games today.

Which is why he banged open the door to her office. He ignored the important people she was talking to and focused only on her. "We need to talk," he said, his tone obviously indicating that any further delay would take place at her own risk.

"Mr. Gold, perfect timing," she said cheerfully. "I thought you'd never show up." She turned to the people she'd been talking too. "He's the man I told you about." Then she turned back to him. "I know you really want to talk, but we can do that after you help them decide if the house or apartment is better," she said, with the underlying message being, 'if you convince them to buy the house, I'll do what you want me to.'

Never before had Mr. Gold been more frustrated with the real estate agent, but he knew he had to play her game. "Alright, Mrs. Mills," he forced out in a pleasant tone before turning to her customers. "If I am correct, you want me to go over the pros and cons of buying a house in this economy?"

"Yes," the man said, and his wife nodded. "We wanted an unbiased person, who has no financial stake in it, to help us make our final decision."

_Well, that's certainly not what you're getting, dearie_. "Well, that's me, dearie. Let's begin." He easily acted cheerful as he sat down across from them and Mrs. Mills left the office. He would wrap this up quickly so his son wouldn't have to spend too much time with the monster that was Mr. Gold's father.

* * *

**Author's Note: My friend, VyeLoyomBrightwarrior is writing a Once Upon a Time fan fic as well. It is called The Blue Age, and it is an AU where magicians are collared and controlled by non magical masters. It has Rumple and Regina raising Henry in secret, because Henry is a magicain who has not been caught yet. There will be eventual Rumbelle. I thought some of you might like it, so if it sounds interesting go check it out.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

It was about an hour after being locked in the basement, and Belle had found absolutely no way out. She had tried her best, but the wooden floor and walls were sturdy, and even once she pried a board off the wall farthest from the trap door, the earth behind it was solid. It would take several weeks to escape that way, and even if that was the quickest escape, she had a feeling that their 'host' would notice the extra dirt in the basement. So, Belle had decided that they would have to escape while out of the basement.

Just as she came to this conclusion, the trapdoor swung open. "Come make us lunch," the man ordered. "We want peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, right, Baden?" He glanced at the young boy who nodded nervously. Belle walked over to the kitchen, and washed her hands, careful to keep the water and soap away from her injuries. Even though it would clean her wounds, she didn't want to deal with the extra pain.

She made three sandwiches, and sat in between Bae and his 'Grandpa.' The man didn't seem to notice. He was too busy chatting with Bae, who only responded with yes or no. After lunch, he ordered Bae back outside to play, and locked Belle back in the basement. She could tell Baden was worried about her, but she couldn't reassure him until that night.

This time, instead of thinking of ways to escape, Belle thought about their captor. If she could understand how he thought, then escape would be much easier. Peter, the name he had given to Bae that morning, obviously wanted to play grandfather. The question was, why, and more importantly, why Baden specifically? Peter seemed to think that Baden was his biological grandson, which explained that question, but brought up even more. Was he actually Baden's grandfather? Or was he just deluding himself?

The longer Belle spent trying to figure it out, the harder it seemed to be, and then it was difficult just to keep her eyes open. Soon, she was fast asleep, unable to keep herself awake after the pressures of the ordeal.

…

Baden was exhausted. They had played tag for a while, which was more scary than any other game of tag he had ever played. Whenever his grandpa tagged him, fear surged through him. Grandpa had yet to hurt him, but Bae still felt like he was going to every time he touched him. When Baden was it, he had trouble making himself run toward his grandfather, when all he wanted to do was run away. When they had stopped to collect leaves and bugs in jars, it had been a relief.

However, that relief had been short-lived. His grandfather had taken great pleasure in squashing the bugs instead of letting them go as they were supposed to. Baden was sad at the loss of life, for the grasshoppers and ladybugs alike. Finally, the man said it was time for dinner, since the sun was setting, and they went back inside. He forced Belle out of the basement to make them dinner, which was a frozen pizza that just required heating in the oven.

Baden and Peter played operation while they waited for dinner to be done. The man giggled every time one of them touched the metal, saying, "I hope that hurt a lot." This, of course, freaked Bae out, but he was determined to be brave, so Belle wouldn't be hurt.

When dinner was ready, they ate in silence, since the grandfather seemed to be deep in thought. Baden was glad for that, since it meant that when he closed his eyes, he could imagine that he was home with his Papa, and they were eating dinner together. He fought to make sure no tears escaped. He had been really brave today, and he wasn't going to end it by crying.

Once they finished, their captor declared, "It's almost your bedtime. One bedtime story, and then it's off to bed for you."

"Okay," Baden said, relieved. He would only have to keep his brave face on for a little while longer before he could escape from this man.

They sat down on the couch, and he pulled out a book. "Look, Baden," he said. "It's the book your father reads to you every night before bed; _Guess How Much I Love You_! Now you won't have to go without hearing it!"

"No! I don't want that one," the little boy declared. "Papa is the only one allowed to read it to me; you can't!" At Baden's words, Belle stopped washing the dishes and looked over, closely monitoring the situation.

"I'm your grandpa, and I will read it to you." Being five, Bae missed the danger in his voice.

"No, only Papa can read it." Belle ran over to stop the situation but this time she was too late. Their captor slapped Baden across the face with enough force to knock him down. Bae started to cry, as the man prepared to slap him again.

Belle got there in time to take it for him. Unfortunately, she put up her arm to protect herself, so the hard smack landed on her road burn injury. She cried out, and then spoke quickly before he could hit her or Baden again, ignoring the fresh bleeding of her arm.

"I think what Baden meant to say was that he has a special book with his Papa, and he wants a different special book with you. Isn't that right, Baden?" she questioned, careful not to call him his special name in front of this man, whom she didn't want to start using it.

"Yeah, that's right," Baden managed through his tears and sniffles. The violent gleam in the man's eyes was suddenly replaced with a gleaming smile.

"Well, why didn't you say so?" Soon, he was reading _Goodnight Moon_ to the young boy, and Belle thought it was a shame that a perfectly good book was being ruined forever for him. However, she went back to washing the dishes so as not to get in trouble.

After the story, their captor let them get ready for bed in the bathroom, where Belle had the time to treat Baden's wound as well as her own. He had been cut slightly under the eye, and it looked like it was going to bruise. Just seeing the injury made Belle angry enough to want to give him a taste of his own medicine, but he was stronger than her, and he had a gun. If he got angry, Belle doubted he would think twice about killing her, and then Baden wouldn't have anyone to protect him. So, Belle settled for tending to the wound and wiping away his tears.

Soon, they were both locked back in the cellar, and Belle was telling him a bedtime story, about the Dream Catchers, who had found a dream about Bae's father reading _Guess How Much I Love You_. They were on their way to him right now, to give him the dream, and they would not stop until he had it.

* * *

As soon as the couple left, finally sure their decision to buy the house was the right one, Mr. Gold turned on the smirking realtor. "Three hours! It took them three bloody hours to decide to buy your stupid house!"

"Call down, Gold," Mrs. Mills responded. "That was a lot quicker than I thought it would take. What's the rush?"

"Never mind what the rush is, I did something for you, now you must do something for me."

"Yes, of course, I know how deals work. What is it you need from me?"

"I need you to keep this secret from the police."

"What, you, in trouble with the law? You're turning out to be just like your father." Little did she know that was the absolute worst thing she could have said.

"I am nothing like him! Nothing!" He picked up a vase filled with flowers and threw it against the wall. It, like the dolls he had thrown earlier, smashed into tiny pieces. However, it also managed to soak her carpet. "Now will you keep this a secret or not?!"

Mrs. Mills looked back at him coolly. "Sure, but you owe me forty dollars for that vase."

Mr. Gold got out his wallet as he spoke. "I need you to see if Peter Shepard has purchased any real estate recently," he informed her before handing the money over.

"What? You're looking for your father? Robert, he's a dangerous man, as you know. You have to think of Baden before deciding to get revenge," she suggested, true concern for him in her voice.

"Just give me the information, Cora."

She was about to, but the thought of Gold's son was nagging at the back of her mind. "No, I can't. For Baden's sake, I can't let you do this." Baden was friends with her daughter, Regina, which was where most of her love for the boy came from.

"It's for Bae's sake that I must do it!" he yelled at her, before tears started to course down his face. It was the first time that he had full out cried since Baden's kidnapping. Cora stared at him, waiting for him to continue. He was grateful that she didn't jeer at him, like she would have in a normal situation. "He has my boy," he informed her, before pulling out the note for her to read.

_Dear Son,_

_I have your son, and if you tell the police, I will hurt him. Anyway, he's mine now, and he'll be mine forever. It'll make up for you running away when you were younger. He'll be a better grandson than you were a son._

_Love,_

_Your Papa_

After reading the letter, it only took a few minutes for Mr. Gold to get the information he needed. Mr. Shepard had bought a hunting cabin recently, and that would be the perfect place to keep a kidnapped little boy; secluded and far away from anyone who would attempt to rescue him. Mr. Gold thanked her and rose to leave.

"Gold?" He turned around, waiting to see what she had to say. "Be careful, and get your son back." He nodded, and then left. Cora sat there for a minute, trying to work, but then she realized she couldn't. She went home early that day, to make sure Regina and her husband, Henry, were safe.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Glad you like what I'm doing, and what I did with Cora.**

* * *

Belle was shaken awake by Baden, whom she could hear was quietly sobbing. "What happened?" she asked. She was worried that he had aggravated his injury, or gotten a new one, because she wouldn't be able to help him with it while locked in the basement, and she hated the thought of him being in pain when she couldn't help at all.

"I had a nightmare," he informed her. She hugged him and started rocking back and forth. At least it was something she could help him with.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She felt him shaking his head no against her shoulder. She just rocked him and hummed a lullaby that her mother had sung her to sleep with when she was a little girl. After a few minutes, Baden pulled back, and Belle let him.

"I dreamt that Papa came to save us, but then Grandpa Peter caught him, and he …" the little boy let out a rather loud sob, that Belle hoped didn't wake their captor. "He killed my Papa," Bae finished, and then buried his head back into her shoulder.

Belle rocked him back and forth while she thought of a good way to deal with this. "You know, I don't think your Papa would come here by himself. He'll have my Papa with him, and several police officers. They'll protect him. Nothing's happened to your Papa yet. It's just a dream." After that, she didn't know what else to say. However, her words seemed to help, because soon the crying stopped, and Bae was fast asleep in her arms.

Soon, Belle drifted off to sleep as well; heeding her own words. Her father wouldn't come to the cabin and be murdered by her kidnapper. He would have policemen with him; so she could ignore the nightmare Bae had woken her up from.

* * *

Robert Gold looked at the log cabin, and decided it must be the one where his son was being held. He had hitchhiked to the closest town before walking several miles to the cabin, so he sincerely hoped this was where Baden was being kept. As he walked up to the door, he heard shouting. "If you bring up your father one more time …" before the voice could finish, Mr. Gold was in the room.

"Don't you dare threaten my boy!" he yelled. Shepard looked up, from where he was about to hit Baden. He could easily tell that Robert was livid.

"Papa, you found us!" Bae yelled.

"Robert, how good to see you again," his father said. "How's the leg?" Gold ignored the sudden flare of pain in his leg. He didn't care that it seemed to be able to sense that it was being talked about. All that mattered was his boy.

"Fine. Now, let Baden go. I've found your hiding place; the game's up. I won't let you hurt him like you hurt me."

"But Papa, I want to stay with Grandpa," Bae interjected. "I love him more than I love you. He's much better than you'll ever be."

"But, Bae …" he didn't know how to finish, especially since Baden had just slammed the door in his face.

…

Gold woke up yelling. Or, at least, trying to yell. Something was in his mouth, and it muffled the cry. Instantly alert, Gold tried to open his eyes, only to find that the fabric in front of them stopped him from seeing anything. He attempted to lift up his right hand to remove it, but the left followed it, attached by rope.

"I see you're awake. Did you sleep well?" a voice taunted. It was a voice he knew very well; Melena's voice. However, the reason his former wife would kidnap him was beyond him. "You know, you really shouldn't have let your guard down. Especially not with Mr. Jones. He's not just in the hitchhiking business; he is working with your father and me. Your father is doing it for Baden. Honestly, what do the two of you see in that worthless boy!" she exclaimed in exasperation. Gold tried to protest her insult of his son, but the gag stopped him. "Anyway, I'm in it for revenge. No one divorces me and gets away with it."

_Really, dearie? Throwing a temper tantrum because your boyfriend dumped you? _he thought to himself because focusing on her pettiness gave him something to do besides get more nervous.

"I would tell you to learn from this lesson and be careful whose toes you step on, but you won't survive this lesson." His eyebrows raised from underneath the blindfold. This had gone from a temper tantrum to a murderous rampage.

_You know, dearie, if overacting's your thing, you could join a theater._ He was struggling to think of a way to escape instead of clever quips when the car door opened. Rough hands grabbed him and pulled him out of the car. Gold was fairly certain he could hear water moving in the slight breeze, but he couldn't quite pinpoint the sound. He was forced to walk several steps away, and then he felt something being fastened to his bad leg. Whatever it was, it seemed to be pulling him backwards. He slowly backed up, to stop the painful tugging, until his heals were hanging off something.

That's when he felt a sickening feeling in his stomach. He was standing on a cliff, above water, and Melena was going to drown him. And the worst part was, he could do nothing to stop it. That's when he vowed that if he somehow got out of this alive, he would never fall asleep while hitchhiking again.

"You should have told the police, Gold. You're not cut out for adventures, even when your son's life depends on it. Now, thanks to you, the police have absolutely no leads in this case. Your boy and the meddlesome girl will stay kidnapped for a very long time, and you can die knowing they'll suffer."

Gold felt confusion, until he remembered the police mentioning something about a girl trying to save his son. Sure, he'd witnessed the kidnapping, but everything had been a blur. He had completely forgotten about her, but now, he prayed, with what was most likely his last moments, that she would protect Baden and both of them would be safe.

He heard the gun go off, and an instant later he felt a sharp pain in his chest. No longer able to win the battle with the weight pulling him off the cliff, he fell, spiraling down. As a blackness thicker than that of his blindfold rushed to meet him, he caught sight of something he hadn't seen until he realized his son was not alone; a glimmer of hope.

* * *

**Author's Note: Don't kill me, please. It will get better, I promise.  
**


	6. Chapter 6

Kyle Jones had run out of the house as soon as she had come. She was mean, and he didn't like her. His father didn't see her as mean, but then again, he was almost as bad as her. So, the young teen had left them alone, and boarded his ship. To the rest of the world, it was a crude raft with a small sail, but to Kyle, it was a magnificent beauty, and his only way to escape from reality. While on the lake, he was Captain Killian Jones, the fiercest pirate to ever sail the seven seas. Tonight, he and his crew, consisting of the anchor, mast, and two oars, were headed to their secret hideout for a much needed hiatus from the dangers of the ocean. After all, two years at sea nonstop was enough to make even the most dedicated sailor crave a day or two of respite.

"First mate, you need to nudge the Jolly Rodger a little to the starboard," he ordered, and then moved the sail himself. "Good, now, steady on." Killian smiled to himself as his hideout came into view. Tonight was going to be …

Something fell and crashed into the water on the port side. Killian got just enough of a look to see it was a person. "Man overboard!" he informed the crew, before knocking over his helmsman, aka the anchor, and diving in after whoever it was that had just been foolish enough to jump off a cliff.

Ignoring the frigid water, Killian swam deeper and deeper. Soon, he was much farther under the surface than he had ever gone before. Just as he thought he would be unable to find the person, his hand felt a sinking rock that was attached to a rope. Killian pulled out the knife a good pirate captain always kept on him and cut the rope in one swift motion. Then, he swam up slightly and found the suicide jumper.

At that point, he was almost out of air, but he grabbed the person and kicked for the surface. As soon as he made it, Killian breathed in a huge gulp of air. It was fairly easy after that to drag the man, as he could now tell by the suit and tie, even though he had long hair, onto his vessel. There, he felt for a pulse and a breath, and was relieved to find both. However, that relief was short lived once he realized that the man was bleeding, and pretty badly too, by the look of him.

"Why don't we have a medic on this bloody ship?!" Bloody was what he used instead of curse words, since he got in trouble for using them. Of course, bloody seemed more apt a word for a pirate anyway. When his crew didn't answer, Captain Killian Jones set a course for the hideout, as before, after rescuing his helmsman from the murky waters.

It was obvious his new passenger had been a prisoner before being rescued by the crew of the Jolly Rodger. He was blindfolded, and had been gagged before Killian took that off to make sure he was still breathing. He was tied up, had a rock tied to his leg, and had been shot. Which meant that his captors had really wanted him dead. A gunshot might not kill him? Okay, we'll drown him as well.

All this to say that if a stranger with a gun wound showed up in the small town near the lake, whoever wanted to kill this man would have another chance at it. It was too dangerous to take him there, so Killian decided he'd take care of the man; at his hideout. That way, the man would be safe and the criminals who wanted him dead would think themselves successful, while in reality the witness to their crime was still alive. A win for all except the criminals; assuming Captain Killian Jones could learn how to be a doctor before his passenger died.

Killian sighed to himself as he pulled into his favorite port. He and his crew had a huge task ahead of them.

* * *

Belle had always had a gift of seeing the best in people. She could explain away the behavior of her own bullies in high school, saying that they were just insecure. Her friends knew to come to her if they needed to find the good hidden inside of themselves or a rival, and Belle had never failed to find good qualities in anyone. Until she had met Shepard.

Who, besides a demented, twisted demon, would say, "Good morning, Baden. I had your father killed last night. Let's go play outside," and then have the audacity to wonder what he had done to upset the little boy? Thank goodness he'd had to go shopping. It had given her time to soothe Baden, and tell the boy that Shepard was probably lying, since he had no evidence. She'd told him not to worry, that his father would be there soon, and that he would have to put on a brave face when Shepard got back so they didn't get hurt again.

The little boy had nodded, and he believed her that his father was okay. Belle desperately hoped she was right.

…

Shepard got back at six, and then had Belle cook dinner while he and Baden played Operation again. He had a sick fascination with that game. Belle sat in between them again, guarding against any harm their captor might inflict on Bae. Again, Shepard didn't notice. He spent most of dinner praising himself on the death of Baden's father. Baden was able to outright ignore him, since Belle had told him that Shepard was lying. After dinner, they read _Goodnight Moon_ again, and he forced Baden into the basement.

Belle was shocked when he closed and locked the trapdoor without putting her with Baden. "Sorry, my dear, but it's not bedtime for you yet." At first, she was afraid he'd hurt her, but then he led her outside, where another woman was waiting.

"Hello, Melena. This is Belle, my lovely maid," he informed the other woman.

"Alright, Shepard, I can handle her from here. Why don't you go back inside and get some sleep?"

"Fine," he grumbled. "I hope she's here in the morning. She makes amazing pancakes for breakfast." Then, without so much as an explanation, he walked back into the cabin and closed the door.

"Now, dear, are you alright? He hasn't hurt you, has he?" Melena was trying to sound compassionate, but something in her voice sounded off to Belle.

"Skip the pleasantries. What do you want?"

"Well, well. Very perceptive and bold for a simple librarian and want-to-be author," Melena said icily, her tone changing once she realized Belle could see right through her. "I came here to offer you a choice. You can leave this place. We'll let you go, and you can go back to your life."

"And what's the cost?" Belle knew these people never did a something-for-nothing deal, and she wanted to know the price for such a huge gain.

"Tell the police Gold went mad. Kidnapped his own son, and shot him. Then, he miraculously let you go, and you have no idea where he went."

Belle's eyes widened in realization. "Gold is Baden's father, and you want to frame the kidnapping on him. Not only that, but he really is dead. You want to blame him and say Baden's dead so the cops will stop looking for him."

"Well dear, I must say I'm quite impressed. It's quite refreshing to work with someone who has a brain on their shoulders, instead of the fumbling idiots I'm used to." Melena thought she had found someone similar to herself, and was pleased that this would work out.

"Yes, well, I prize my heart above my brain," Belle informed the criminal. "I will not abandon Baden like that. Sorry, but I'm staying right here with him."

Then, overcome with rage that, yet again, someone was choosing a little kid over logic, Melena punched Belle in the stomach. The librarian yelled out and sunk to her knees, right before a second punch landed on her left eye. Before Melena could strike again, an unexpected voice spoke.

"Melena, what did she say?" Shepard was standing at the door, looking at his partner in crime.

"She refused the deal."

"Yay!" he yelled unexpectedly, and clapped his hands together. "Come on, you need your rest, if you're going to make me chocolate chip pancakes tomorrow."

The insane man pulled Belle to her feet, and locked her in the basement with Bae. The little boy ran over and hugged her, and yet again, fell asleep in her arms. Belle wondered if Baden would be able to sleep without her when all of this was through. She was trying to ignore her pain in her eye and stomach when it hit her. Their captor had one identifiable good quality; his love of pancakes and protection of those who made them.

* * *

Kyle had tried to nurse his patient back to health until sunrise, to no avail. It appeared that one needed more than a rudimentary knowledge of healing to help someone recover from a gunshot wound. There was nothing he could do, save enlist the help of Dr. Hopper, the town's doctor and psychiatrist. However, when he got back to town, his father was waiting for him. He had been in huge trouble for being gone all night. His father wouldn't let him out of his sight. Kyle spent the whole day doing chores and being scolded by his father.

He was relieved when it was finally bedtime. However, it took his father several hours to go to bed after he had forced Kyle to, so he had to stay up several hours waiting. Finally, once Mr. Jones was asleep, Kyle was free to go retrieve the doctor. He opened the window, and climbed down very easily. His father knew Kyle was scared of heights, so he never worried about his son attempting such a stunt.

Of course, Mr. Jones was right. Kyle was terrified of heights. However, Killian was not. Pirates weren't scared of anything, so all Kyle had to do was become the pirate captain, which came as easily to him as breathing. The only time it was hard for the teen to think of himself as the pirate was when he was around his father.

Soon, Killian was sneaking into Dr. Hopper's house, and up the stairs. So what if it was midnight? It wasn't like the doctor was that busy; it was such a small town that he could easily juggle the jobs of doctor and psychiatrist with loads of time to spare.

..

Dr. Archibald Hopper was all for meeting patients where they felt most comfortable. As a psychiatrist, he understood the importance of a positive atmosphere, and he tried to create the environment most suited to the particular client. However, as he sat on a small raft on the middle of the lake in the middle of the night, he thought he might have taken this one a bit too far.

"In all honesty, Dr. Hopper, I don't need your help as a psychiatrist," Kyle told him, and he started to really consider why he was here.

"Well then, Kyle, I mean, Killian," he corrected himself. The fourteen-year-old preferred the name he had given himself, and Archie did his best to remember that, knowing it was his way to deal with his father. "Why don't you take me back to town? It's late, and we both need our sleep."

"But I still need you," Killian insisted. "I just need your doctor side instead of your psychiatrist one." Dr. Hopper sighed.

"Alright, Killian, what's wrong?" He wished the boy would stop steering the raft so he could have a normal conversation.

"I found a hurt man last night," Killian said as if that was an everyday, or night, occurrence.

"What? How bad is he hurt?" the doctor questioned, concerned and wishing he had moved more quickly once he discovered that Killian was in need of his help.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Killian questioned as they pulled into his secret hideout. Dr. Hopper followed the teen off the raft, and caught sight of his patient.

* * *

**Author's Note: I am now busy, so I won't be able to update as often. I will try to update at least once a week.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Some people are a little confused about Killian/Kyle, which is partly my fault for not writing it clear enough, so I will explain here what I meant to convey about him. Kyle has a strained relationship with his father, and this is the reason he pretends to be Captain Killian. It's how he deals with his father. Also, Kyle's father is the one who helped Melena 'kill' Gold. Melena is actually Milah, but since Baelfire is named Baden and Rumpelstiltskin is Robert, I thought I should make her name a bit more modern as well.**

* * *

Gold woke up to the sound of voices. "He's in a critical condition. You should have brought him straight to me."

"But I couldn't! Someone was trying to kill him! If I brought him to you, they would realize that he's alive, and then they would've had a chance to try again. He has to stay here, for his own safety."

Gold tried to sit up, but then pain flared through his chest. He cried out and lay back down. He clenched his hands into fists, trying to block out the pain. It was excruciating, but not quite as bad as the time he had hurt his leg, so he was pretty sure he'd make it through this one.

"Sir, you should lay still," a voice gently informed him. "Do you at least have a first aid kit?" At first, Gold thought the voice was still addressing him, but then someone else answered.

"Yeah, I grabbed your field kit from your house when you weren't looking."

"I guess that's a good thing," the first voice grumbled, and then there was a silence. "How long has he been like this?"

"Uh, about 24 hours," the second voice said.

"Oh gosh. Alright, sir, I'm going to need you to lay still as I examine you, alright?"

He nodded, and braced himself for the upcoming pain. The doctor checked him over quickly.

"Without the proper equipment …" he began, but was cut off.

"The proper equipment could be the death of him! We can't take him back to the town. You'll just have to treat him with what you've got."

"Alright, but I could easily miss something important," the first voice insisted. "Sir, do you want me to take you to the hospital, or treat you here?" Obviously, the person had realized that he knew which situation was best.

"Here," he forced out through gritted teeth. Talking hurt even more than breathing did.

"Alright sir, don't worry, I'll do the best I can."

_And that's all I can ask for, dearie_, Gold thought as the doctor started treating him. At some point, the pain became too much for him to bear, and he drifted off into the land of the unconscious.

* * *

Mr. French was furious. "What do you mean, no leads!" he bellowed. Officer Hunter could do nothing but let the angry father yell at him. "How could you not have found the truck and its driver, or a crippled man with no car or cell phone? I bet you couldn't find them if they were right in front of your nose!"

Finally, Mr. French had to take a break from his rant to breathe. That's when Officer Hunter was able to interject. "Sir, all I said was that we had yet to find Mr. Gold or the man who kidnapped you daughter. That doesn't mean that we have no leads." Mr. French was finally paying attention to the policeman.

"We caught an image of Mr. Gold leaving a building. He has a contact there, and we are going to talk to her and see what she knows. Besides that, you are right. We lack any information that would lead us to either of the two men, but we are hopeful that his contact will give us the missing information. I was about to go talk to her, when you came barging in here demanding an update, so if you will excuse me." The officer got up and walked toward the door of his office.

"Wait," Mr. French called after him. He turned around, and waited for Moe to speak. "I'm going with you."

"You most certainly are not," Officer Hunter objected. There was no way he was letting the civilian ruin his investigation.

"No. My daughter is missing, and your team is doing a terrible job at finding her. I'm coming, so I can make sure this is being done right."

"With all due respect, Mr. French, the best way you can make sure this is being done right is to let me handle it." The father paused, unsure of what to do, and Officer Hunter saw his way in. "Look, why don't you wait for me in my office. I'll tell you the news as soon as I get back."

"Alright," the father relented, but said one last thing before the policeman left. "Just make sure my daughter's safe."

"Of course, sir," Officer Hunter agreed, before leaving to go see Mrs. Mills, the only person in the realtor building that Mr. Gold had known before the whole mess had begun.

…

Cora Mills put on a very convincing fake smile as the officer walked into her office. "It's a pleasure to meet you …" she trailed off, so he would tell her his name.

"Officer Hunter."

"No need to be so stiff, Officer," she told him. She had the terrible habit of flirting with men when she was nervous or trying to distract them. Her husband knew of it, and knew he couldn't change her. He accepted her the way she was, even if he didn't like it. Henry knew she would never take it too far. "You can call me Cora. What's your first name?"

"Look, Mrs. Mills, we should really …" she cut him off.

"Well, I guess I'll have to make a name up for you. How about, Francis?" she questioned, trying to come up with a terrible name so he would be forced to tell her the real one.

"Fine, you can call me Officer Graham. Now, can we continue?" He was exasperated, but perhaps if he told her his name she would let them move on.

"Alright, Graham. What are you hear to discuss?"

"Is it true that you are friends with Mr. Robert Gold?"

She laughed. "Is anyone truly friends with that man?" When Graham glared at her, she continued. "Well, yes, I know him quite well."

"Did he come to see you a few days ago?"

"Um, let's see, not that I recall." She batted her eyelashes at him to hide the fact that she was lying.

"So, we have footage of him leaving this building, after coming to talk to one of the walls. Is that right?" he said sarcastically. He saw right through her lies, and as much as she wanted to go to prison for her acquaintance, she decided to tell him the truth. As long as he agreed to her conditions, of course.

"Alright, if you want the information, you must promise me two things."

"We'll see," the officer said, folding his arms and waiting for her to say what she wanted.

"Number one, I will not be prosecuted for withholding information." He nodded. If she was going to tell him now, he could overlook the fact that she had been reluctant to do so. "And number two, you will keep this information as secret as possible."

Now he was starting to wonder what was going on. Seeing the look on his face, she hastily continued. "The second request is to protect Baden."

"Alright then. I agree to your stipulations, so long as you are telling the truth about Baden's safety being on the line if this information gets out. Tell me what you know." She handed him a piece of paper. On it was a note, probably the one that Gold's secretary had mentioned.

"So, Gold's father has Baden and Belle. I see why he didn't tell us, since he threatened to hurt Baden if he did. Now, all we have to do is find the identity of Gold's father, and …"

"I know the identity, and the most likely spot where Baden is being kept," Mrs. Mills interrupted. "But who's Belle?"

"Belle's the girl that got kidnapped while trying to save Baden. So, are you going to give me the information?"

"Of course, Graham. The man's name is Peter Shepard, and he recently bought a hunting cabin." As she spoke, she brought up the information on her computer. "That would be an ideal place to keep them."

"You're right, thank you." Officer Hunter rose, glad to finally have a promising lead.

"Oh, wait, Graham? Don't forget, you can't tell anyone that isn't absolutely essential to saving the boy."

"Of course," he agreed. As he walked back to his police car, he remembered Mr. French. The man would be furious again for his lack of leads. He sighed. There was no way of getting around it without endangering the two hostages. He just hoped Mr. French would be reasonable about this 'failure.'

* * *

As Belle set down the platter of chocolate chip pancakes on the table, she couldn't help but feel like roles were reversed. Shepard was rubbing his hands together in anticipation, and took three pancakes before the plate was even on the table, whereas Bae grabbed one, and picked at it, muttering under his breathe about how chocolate for breakfast could be very bad for one's health.

"Mmmm, these pancakes are perfect!" their captor exclaimed around a mouthful of pancake. "I could eat these every morning!"

Belle smiled, relieved that their captor was in a good mood. Unfortunately, she had thought too soon.

Shepard looked over at Baden, and his eyes narrowed. "Why aren't you eating your pancakes!" he bellowed.

Baden looked up from where he was picking at one of them. "I don't like chocolate for breakfast."

"What?!" he roared, and started to move toward the now terrified little boy.

Belle thought quickly. "Perhaps Baden meant that his stomach isn't feeling well, so he doesn't want chocolate for breakfast _today_." Baden nodded vigorously, so Shepard would believe the story.

"How dare you be sick on a day when Belle made such a wonderful breakfast?!" Obviously, that plan had backfired.

"It's okay, I'll make them again tomorrow, when Baden's feeling better." The hand that had been about to slap Baden stopped, and he redirected it to clap.

"Yay! Chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast two days in a row!" the maniac cheered. "Baden, you should stay sick, so we can have them for three days straight!" Grinning, he went back to his seat to continue eating. Belle relaxed; glad she had salvaged the spiraling situation. The most unexpected things could set her captor off, and she would have to be more careful. At least neither of them had been hurt this time.

* * *

"So, how is he?" Killian asked Dr. Hopper as soon as he was done checking over his patient.

"He'll be fine. I need you to give him two of these every four hours," he informed the boy, putting a bottle in the kid's hands. Killian looked down at the meds, and then back up at the doctor.

"Aren't you forgetting something? My father won't let me leave every four hours to come here."

"True, but he needs the pain medication, and actually, he needs someone to be here the entire time to take care of him." Archie fell silent, trying to think of a solution. Then, his face lit up. "I got it! I'll tell your father you're helping me."

"Okay," the boy agreed. After he dropped Dr. Hopper off in the town, he sailed his raft back to his hideout. He walked in, and then froze.

The patient was awake, and glaring right at him. It was a look so fierce that Kyle was sure brave warriors would drop dead from it. He wanted to run screaming from the room. That was until he reminded himself that he was Captain Killian Jones, the fearless pirate.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked in a cocky voice to hide his true emotions.

"What are you going to do to me?" Gold questioned, skipping the pleasantries. He was completely at the mercy of a strange kid, and he had no way to judge his attentions.

"Help you get better. Feed you. Other than that, I don't know. I guess whatever you want me to do."

Gold sighed, relieved. At least he had been rescued by a compassionate stranger. He remembered the pain of being healed in the night, but had forgotten the conversation he had overheard while conscious.

"My chest hurts," he told the boy, in spite of himself. He wanted to appear strong, but just breathing sent pain shooting through his body.

"Well, sorry. You've still got two more hours until I can give you the pain meds," Killian informed him.

"Fine." Gold just lay there, trying to breathe in the least painful way possible. Killian watched him for a few minutes, before he gave in to his curiosity.

"So, who shot you, and why?" Gold really didn't feel like launching into any lengthy conversation; talking hurt worse than breathing. However, he especially didn't want to go into that conversation. Telling a teen that his ex-wife had shot him while he was hitchhiking to try to save his son seemed like it was teeming with bad morals for him to learn. Like, get a divorce, hitchhike, avoid the police, etc.

"No," Gold told him, since it was shorter than 'I don't feel like telling you.'

"Oh, okay, you can tell me later," Killian said.

Gold sighed, and winced from the pain that it caused. His road to recovery seemed to be a rather long and painful one.


	8. Chapter 8

Graham walked into the office, and Moe looked up expectantly.

"Sorry, I've got no leads," he lied. He felt terrible about lying to a father who just wanted his daughter back, but this was the only way to protect her and the boy. "It was a dead end."

"Oh, that's too bad," Mr. French said dejectedly. There was something about the tone in his voice that made Officer Hunter instantly suspicious. The man should be angry, or crying, or in shock. However, Moe French just seemed mildly disappointed.

"What did you do while I was gone?" he asked casually, trying to get clues to determine why Mr. French was in a weird mood.

"Nothing much," he commented, and then Graham's hands were forced behind his back by an unseen adversary. "I just figured out you were a traitor."

"What are you talking about!" he yelled, struggling against the officers who were trying to detain him.

"Simple, really," one of them said. "Someone in the police station must have been helping. How else could an entire truck disappear? Then, we got an anonymous tip to check out your house, and there the truck was, parked right in front of it. Then, as if that wasn't enough, we found Mr. Gold's cane in the back of it, covered with his blood. So, not only did you kidnap the kid, but you got rid of his father."

"This is insane! How do you know the evidence wasn't planted?!"

"Because to get into the truck, we had to have keys. After we got a search warrant, we found them in your house. Hiding evidence in plain sight was a clever idea, Hunter, but unfortunately for you, it backfired. Now, tell us where the kid and lady are, and perhaps you'll get a lighter sentence.

"I didn't do it!" he objected. The second he had started to get close, he was being framed for kidnapping the very people he had been trying to find. Obviously, someone had known he was getting close, which meant Cora Mills was in danger. He couldn't just let himself be dragged to prison now, not when so many people needed his help.

They started to drag him away, deciding to leave it up to the professionals to get the location out of him. All of a sudden, he dropped to the ground, forcing them to support all of his weight. They staggered forward, and then Graham jumped at one of them, forcing him into the wall and knocking the breath out of the other officer. The other man hadn't been able to keep ahold of the prisoner at the sudden jerk, so now no one was holding onto him. He jumped again, bringing his hands under his legs so they were in front of him.

Then, Graham barreled through the office. Everyone was too shocked to stop him. He grabbed the keys of an officer who had just locked his car, and hopped into it. As he sped off toward Mrs. Mill's office, he hoped it wasn't already too late.

…

Regina hummed as she entered her mother's building, holding on tightly to her father's hand. He had finished work early, and they were here to surprise her mother and take her to her favorite restaurant. It had been a long time since they had done something to surprise Regina's mom, and the little girl was looking forward to it.

However, as soon as they entered Mrs. Mill's office, Regina's excitement turned to terror. There was a masked man who was entering through the window, a gun in his hand.

"Cora!" her father yelled, and then there was a gun shot. However, it sounded like it was coming from above her, not in front of her. When the man fell to the ground, clutching his shoulder, Regina looked up. Sure enough, there was a gun above her head.

"Officer Hunter," Cora said in shock. The man gently pushed past Regina and kicked the gun the intruder had dropped due to pain away from him.

"We'll let the police deal with him. We have to get out of here," Graham said.

"Aren't you the police?" Cora questioned, and then she saw that his hands were cuffed together. Graham hadn't had time to take them off yet.

"They framed me for the crime because they heard our conversation. They knew I was getting close. You and your family are now in danger since you know where Baden and Belle are. I have to get you to a secure location."

"Won't that be hard since the police are after you?" Henry, Cora's husband, asked.

"It would be, except I have a place that is off police radar. Now come on, follow me." He left the room, and then Henry turned to his wife.

"How do we know we can trust him?" Cora sighed, unsure if he was telling the truth or he was luring them to a more secretive location so their murder would be less obvious.

"Because he shot the guy trying to hurt Mommy," Regina said with certainty before following the ex-officer out of the office.

Her parents looked at each other, and without words, decided that staying here and leaving with him both presented dangers. They decided to follow him, since, as Regina had pointed out, it was unlikely he would have shot someone trying to kill them if he also wanted them dead.

* * *

He woke up, and the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was the boy. "Who are you?" he asked, realizing he had yet to learn the boy's name.

"I'm Captain Killian Jones, the fiercest pirate to ever roam the seven seas." Ah, so they were playing the pretend game. "But, you can call me Killian. Who are you?"

He decided to keep with the imaginary character theme. "I'm Rumpelstiltskin, the most powerful sorcerer ever to live on this earth." Gold chose to go by Rumpelstiltskin, because as a boy, that's who he'd pretended to be in order to deal with the problems he'd had with his father.

"So, you steal kids from their parents?" Killian asked.

"No, not at all. I rescue kids from mean parents and find them better homes." Killian's face lit up. He knew the man was just pretending, but he still liked the concept. "I wish I had thought of that."

Gold laughed, which almost instantly turned into a groan of pain. His injury was still wickedly painful.

"So, why did someone try to kill you?" Killian asked, curious about the stranger he had rescued from certain death.

"Well, that's a long story," Gold said, and saw disappointment in the young man's eyes. "However, the short version is that my son has been kidnapped, and I am trying to get him back."

"Wow, that's so cool. You must be the best dad ever!" Killian exclaimed, thinking that his dad would never do anything like that for him. Gold sighed, thinking that if he was the best dad, he never would have let his son be kidnapped in the first place. "Who kidnapped him?"

Gold didn't want to say that it was his own father, so he said, "A man named Peter Shepard."

"Wait, Peter Shepard? That guy just bought a hunting cabin right near here!"

"Well, that is why I'm here." There was a lull in the conversation, while Killian thought. Gold started to drift off to sleep, but then the boy spoke again.

"So, what's your rescue plan?"

Mr. Gold thought for a second before answering. "I don't have one." Being shot had ruined his previous plan, and he couldn't think of any way to defeat his father without backup, which he had no access to since he was on the run from the police.

"Okay, well I do." Killian missed the shocked expression on his patient's face and kept talking. "I'll get Dr. Hopper to ask him to go to dinner, since he's new in town and hasn't been properly welcomed yet. Then, you and I will sneak in, rescue your son, and escape. We'll take him back here, since no one can find my secret hideout. Then, once you're better, you can take him home."

"No," Gold said flatly, and this time it was the teen's turn to be shocked. "You aren't going to help me. I won't put you or the doctor in harm's way."

"Oh, come on. Dr. Hopper doesn't even have to know what's going on. As for me, I'm a pirate. I've been in plenty of worse scrapes before. Besides, right now, I'm faster, stronger, and healthier than you. Face it, you need my help if you want to rescue your son anytime soon."

Gold thought for a little. He knew almost for certain that there was no way he was going to rescue Baden by himself, at least not until he was recovered. However, it would take weeks for the injury to heal, and he couldn't let his son suffer for that long.

"Fine, but with one condition." The teen nodded, excited that he would finally be going on a real adventure. "You must listen to everything I say, without question or hesitation. I know how Shepard works, so I know how to deal with him."

"Alright, deal," Killian said. The two shook hands, and Gold wondered if he was doing the right thing by involving a young boy in such a dangerous situation.

* * *

Melena couldn't believe it. The meddling police officer was not in a jail cell out of the way, and had, in fact, saved the realtor who supplied him with the information in the first place. What was the point in framing a man for something he didn't do if it didn't at least get him out of your hair?

"Calm down, babe," Joe said soothingly, walking up next to her and wrapping his arms around her. "I'm sure he'll be caught eventually. And anyway, how much damage can he do while trying to avoid the police? I mean, just look at Gold. He was trying to stay off the radar, and ended up dead in a lake because of it. It's only a matter of time before he messes up."

"You're right, of course," she told him, snuggling into him. "I just want our plan to go smoothly."

"It will, babe. Worrying won't change anything, though. Soon, we'll get the officer, realtor, and her family out of the way. Then, we'll have all the money we'll ever need. Right now, all of our men are out looking for him. There's nothing more we can do, so …" he looked at her hopefully.

"Let's have some fun," she agreed, and they went upstairs to Joe Jones' bedroom.

* * *

Mary Margaret Nolan flopped down on the couch as soon as she was home. Emma, on the other hand, ran to greet her father in the kitchen. It had been a rough day for the teacher. A police officer had come to the school to talk about how to stay safe, and when asked why by one of the kids, he had told the truth. Baden Gold had been kidnapped. Of course, being his teacher, Mrs. Nolan had already known, but her kids hadn't. The rest of the day had been filled with kids asking her if Baden was alright, or if they would be kidnapped as well. Trying to calm them all down had proven an extreme challenge.

The really frightened ones she had attempted to send to the counselor's office, but that had been filled with other anxious children. Eventually, she had given up trying to teach anything, and they had all sat in a circle on the carpet, where Mrs. Nolan attempted to calm them down by answering their questions. Several had broken down crying in fear, and Ruby was especially upset, since she was Baden's close friend.

Luckily, Emma had a better day than her mother. Her class had been as much of a wreck as her mother's, but she hadn't been worried at all, saying that all she had to do was listen to her parents and she'd be okay.

Mary Margaret decided to turn on the television, to take her mind off the stressful day. It was on a news station, and she was about to change it when she saw a picture of her brother on the screen.

"Officer Hunter resisted arrest, and is now on the loose. He is a fugitive, and if you hear anything, report it to the police immediately. Now, in other news, cat videos are becoming even more popular …"

Mary Margaret stopped listening. Her brother, a fugitive! She had thought the one danger he was safe from as an officer was the chance of becoming a criminal, but apparently, she had been wrong.

Just then, Emma skipped in and sat on the couch next to her mom, sipping on a juice box and completely enthralled by the cat video news. Mrs. Nolan didn't even notice that her daughter was watching the news. Her brother, the criminal! She got up, and yelled, "David, I'm leaving. I'll be back later," before exiting her house. She needed to find Graham, and find out the truth behind the news story.

* * *

Baden followed his captor outside, ready to 'play' once again. He really hoped they weren't going to do tag again. It was the scariest of games that he had played with his grandfather so far.

"You know, I'm getting bored of tag," Shepard told him. Baden let out a sigh of relief, which his captor luckily didn't notice. "Uh, I know! Let's play hide and go seek!" Baden was shocked, and all of a sudden adrenaline was pounding through his veins. If they were playing hide and go seek, then Shepard would have to take his eyes off Baden, and maybe they would have a chance to escape.

"Ok, I'll be it first. I'll count to 100, and then I'll come and find you." Baden nodded, and right when Shepard closed his eyes, he took off running. He entered the cabin, before he started to worry. What if Shepard caught them escaping? They would be in a whole lot of trouble. He didn't want to get hurt, and he didn't want Belle to be hurt more because of him. He had pretended not to notice the black eye she had after Shepard had made her stay out longer, but he was sure it was his fault. He didn't want that to happen again. Maybe he should just play hide and seek without attempting to escape.

_Do the brave thing and bravery will follow_. Belle's words popped into his head. He sighed, forcing past his worry, and unlocked the door to the basement. "Come on Belle, we have to hurry," he informed her.

She got out of the basement without question, and soon they were running through the forest, away from their kidnapper. Even as the distance between them and the cabin grew, they heard Shepard yell, "Ready or not, here I come!"


	9. Chapter 9

Belle ran through the woods, ignoring the branches that scraped at her skin, hair, and clothes. In fact, it barely registered that she was being scratched. The only thing she felt was pure fear and adrenaline coursing through her veins. Baden was running beside her, but he she soon started to outpace him. She dropped back and picked up the young boy before continuing her frantic run through the woods.

"Surely you didn't go this far, did you, Baden?" Belle heard Shepard call out from behind them. "But I still hear your footsteps. We're playing hide and go seek, not tag!"

His comment that he knew where they were only spurred Belle on to run faster. They had to escape, because if he caught them, she was uncertain that she and Bae would survive.

* * *

Mary Margaret made sure no one was watching her before entering the secret tunnel that led to the clubhouse. She and Graham had discovered it when they were children, and had agreed to tell no one about it. Now, years later, she was sure he would be hiding out here until he felt it safe to flee the city.

She walked down the steps and opened the door. Graham jumped up, as did another man. A woman and girl maneuvered behind the men, so they would protect them, before Graham relaxed.

"It's just my sister," he informed the family, who looked somewhat familiar to the teacher.

"Mrs. Nolan!" the little girl yelled, and ran out from behind her father to hug Mary Margaret.

"Regina?" she asked. She looked questioningly at Graham, wondering how one of her students and her family had ended up in the clubhouse.

"Uh, Mrs. Mills has information that makes her a target. I would suggest that she and her family be put in witness protection, but since I'm a fugitive and all …"

"Yeah, how did that happen?" his sister interrupted, angry with him for getting himself in deep trouble.

"I was framed. I'm up against very dangerous people, trying to rescue a kidnapped kid."

"Wait, you're the one who's going to save Baden?" Regina questioned. He nodded, and she looked worried. "Well, how are you going to do that from here?"

"I'm not. Someone else is going to take over the case." She nodded, before Cora interrupted.

"Well, we are the only two people who know the location and want to rescue him. It will take your replacement a lot longer than you to find the boy."

"Yeah, you should go find him!" Regina encouraged, and Graham ran a hand through his hair.

"Well, it's not safe for me to leave. I wouldn't be able to get to him before I was arrested."

"You could tell me the location. Then David and I could rescue him and the young woman that was captured with him," Mary Margaret suggested.

"No. It's too dangerous. Neither of you have training, and what about Emma?"

"Emma could stay here with you. She'd love that. And as for me and David, we can handle ourselves. We'll be fine. Someone needs to save them, and who better than people no one will suspect?"

Graham could tell that his sister wasn't going to change her mind. "Fine, but with one condition. Promise me you will be as careful as possible."

"Don't worry, Graham. I'll be careful."

…

"The things I do for you," David muttered as he drove his animal rescue van toward the location of a kidnapper. He couldn't believe he'd let his wife talk him into attempting a rescue mission.

"Look, we're their only hope, David. This is the only decent thing to do."

"I know," he sighed. "I just don't think we have the skills to do this. What's more, if something happens to us, Emma could end up an orphan. I don't want that, at all. She needs us."

Mary Margaret reached over and put her hand on his leg. "I know, but these people need us too. We'll be really careful, and if we think we can't handle it, we'll stop trying. We'll make sure our daughter doesn't grow up without us."

He nodded and continued to drive, now in silence. He hoped they could be sneakier about the rescue attempt than Mr. Gold had been.

* * *

Killian and Gold hid behind the cabin, listening to Dr. Hopper knock on the door. The teen had suggested that he ask the new owner of the cabin to dinner, and Archie had thought that was an excellent idea. The doctor had no idea that he was a kidnapper, or that Gold and Killian were waiting for them to leave so they could rescue Baden.

"Hmm, guess he's not home," Archie said to himself before walking back toward town, humming.

"Alright, well, we can still look inside. Of course he could be back any minute, but …"

"Let's go," Gold interrupted, and they forced their way into the cabin. They searched frantically for several minutes, before Killian discovered the hidden basement.

"It's empty," he informed Gold. The father sighed.

"He must have moved Bae." He wanted to stay in control in front of the teen, but that proved to be impossible. He swung the stick he was using in place of his cane into a vase, making it shatter.

"Hey, Mr. Gold?" He stopped with the stick raised, prepared to strike a cabinet. "There's still a car in the parking spot. Maybe he was moved on foot, so we could find a trail to him."

"You're a genius!" the adult yelled before limping outside. Killian found the trail, since he had gone hunting with his father many times before. He hated being alone with his father and away from his ship, but he had become an expert tracker because of it. Soon, they were following the trail, Killian finding, to his surprise, that he was having trouble keeping up with his injured companion.

Gold had only one thought in his head as he pushed himself at a dangerous pace. _I must save Bae before it's too late._

…

Belle lay underneath a thick bush, holding Baden close to her. She tried to breath as quietly as she could. Shepard was nearby, calling out, "Where are you, Baden? You can't hide from me forever!" They had been forced to stop running when they realized Shepard was gaining, and had been hiding for twenty minutes. Belle thought that their captor was about to move to a different location to search, since he hadn't found Baden yet.

Soon, she stopped hearing him, and she stepped out of the undergrowth, gently pulling Baden with her. "Come on, let's go," she whispered.

"So, there you are." Belle's heart jumped as she turned around to face him, and her stomach twisted when she saw that Shepard was holding a gun. "And Belle is with you. What, were you trying to escape?" His expression changed rapidly from happiness at enjoying the game to uncontrollable rage.

"Maybe, you won't try to escape if I kill your little friend!" he yelled. A loud bang filled the forest, mingling with Baden's cry, "Belle!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: I've started to write another story. It's called Twice Cursed, and even though Rumple isn't tagged, he'll be in it. It's a story post season three where Regina wakes up one morning, planning to spend the day with Robin, when she discovers Henry in the house. He has lost his memory, and she soon finds out that so have many others. It's a new curse, and she must find out who cast it and why, with Belle's and Charming's help. If this sounds interesting, check it out.**

**Also, even though I am writing another story, I will still do my best to update at least once a week.**

* * *

Gold and Killian caught up right as they saw Shepard confronting Belle and Baden.

"Wait, who's she?" Killian asked, confused. Gold hadn't mentioned a beautiful woman.

"She was captured with Bae. Get them to safety, and I'll distract the kidnapper." Killian nodded, and snuck closer to them, while Gold maneuvered himself behind his father. He managed to pull the gun upward right before he shot, and the bullet buried itself into a tree branch.

"You should have hired someone better to kill me," Gold yelled, and his father turned around, pure anger written all over his face. Gold felt like he was a small boy again, fear flowing through his entire body. All he wanted to do was hide, and tell his father he didn't do it or he'd behave from now on. Instead, he did the opposite. He stood up straighter.

"You will not harm my son." His voice was firm and unyielding.

"Fine then, I'll kill you." He pointed the gun at Gold, but then he grabbed ahold of it as well, and soon father and son were wrestling for the deadly weapon so they could kill each other.

…

"Come on," Killian yelled, dragging a shocked and alive Belle into the forest with one hand, and carrying Baden with the other. The teen decided the little boy was really heavy, but since both his charges were in shock, he had no other choice.

"Wait, that was Papa," Baden yelled as everything started to fit together in his brain. "We've got to help him!" he struggled against Killian's grasp, trying to get back to his father.

"The best way we can help is by staying out of the way," Killian argued, despite the fact that he believed otherwise. Gold had said the only way he could help was if he listened to everything the adult said, and Killian wasn't about to disobey him, even if the injured man needed him, too.

"Bae, he's right," the woman comforted him. "Don't worry, I'll check on your father. Stay here with this nice young man." Before either boy could stop her, she was running back into the woods. Baden had missed his father a great deal, and she wasn't going to let him lose him. She had to make sure Mr. Gold survived, and lived a happy life with his son.

"Come on, I got to get you to safety," Killian told the squirming boy.

"But now Belle and Papa are in danger! I have to help them. I have to!" Baden yelled, struggling and failing to break free of the older boy's embrace. Killian dragged him to the raft, which was hidden on the lake near the forest, so he wouldn't have to go back to town to get to his hideout. He hoped the others were okay, but he had a very specific job to do, and he was going to obey it, like Gold had told him to.

…

Shepard could have beaten Gold with one hand tied behind his back and Gold in perfect health. He had always been athletic, whereas his son was more inclined to mental pursuits. The only reason that Gold lasted as long as he did was his determination to protect his son. In fact, considering his terrible injury and non-athletic build, it was an amazing feat that he lasted five minutes. However, the match ended with Shepard standing over him, holding the gun triumphantly as Gold wheezed, flat on his back.

"You really should exercise more," Shepard said, making the famous mistake of gloating before going in for the kill. He gave Belle just enough time to sneak up behind him and knock him on the head with a sturdy branch. His eyes rolled back into his head, and he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"You okay?" Belle asked as she helped the injured man to his feet. He nodded, but as soon as she let go, he slumped to his knees. His injury had been hit in the fight, and he was feeling absolutely terrible. "Um, maybe I should …"

"Just tie him up," Gold ordered. He didn't want his father to escape or kill them both just because they'd forgotten about him. Belle nodded, and used Shepard's own belt to tie his hands together, behind his back and around a tree trunk. Then, she picked up the gun, made sure the safety was on, and returned to Gold.

"Where's my son?" he asked her as she helped him to his feet again. This time, she didn't let go.

"He's with that teen that came with you. We thought we should get him out of danger."

"Ah. Thank you." He wanted to say more than just thank you to the woman who had obviously protected his son from the kidnapper for days, but he didn't feel up to talking more than necessary.

"You're welcome," she responded. They stood there in silence for a few minutes, Gold simply trying to catch his breath.

"I don't really know where to go," she informed him, and he chuckled slightly, which quickly turned into a groan of pain. He should have realized that she wouldn't know where to go; how would she?

"That way," he told her, pointing with the arm that wasn't leaning on her just to stay upright. They started walking toward the lake, in relative silence. It was only after the third time he tripped and she caught him that Gold realized he still didn't know her name.

"What's your name?"

This took Belle by surprise. It seemed weird to her that she didn't know the name of Bae's father, and that he didn't know hers, even though it made perfect sense. Baden had talked about his father whenever Shepard wasn't around, and Belle almost felt like she had met him before because of that.

"I'm Belle. And you are …?"

"Robert." They walked further, concentrating so much on navigating the tricky terrain that neither of them spoke. They reached the lake, and saw the raft headed back their way. Killian probably dropped Baden off at the secret hideout, and was returning to help the adults in any way they needed.

Belle helped Robert prop himself up against a tree, and the two of them watched Killian approach. "Thank you." Belle looked over at Gold, slightly confused.

"For what?" she asked. They had just been standing there for the past couple of minutes, doing nothing, so she had no idea what he was referring to.

"For protecting my son," he said, and Belle could hear the feeling in his voice. He cared for his son a great deal; she could tell from the way he spoke and what Baden had told her about his Papa.

"Well, thank you." He looked over at her, waiting for an explanation. The wind tossed her hair, just like it did to the pure blue water next to her and the fresh green grass all around them. She tried to brush it out of her face as she continued. "You came to rescue me and your son, _and_," she continued, before he could interrupt, "you saved be from getting shot."

He nodded. "Yes, but you returned the favor, not to mention helping me back here." She smiled at him.

"You know, let's just say we're even. No more thank yous necessary."

"Deal," he agreed, and they both watched the raft draw closer. "Did he hurt my son?" There was worry in his voice, and a hint of another emotion Belle couldn't place.

"He only hit Bae once, and I made sure it didn't happen again." He turned to look at her, and Belle felt his brown eyes were staring deep into her soul.

"Bae?" he asked, and she just stared at him, confused. "He told you to call him that?"

"Yes, why?"

"Oh, no reason." He paused, and just when Belle thought he wasn't going to continue, he did. "It's just, Baden only ever let me call him Bae. He must trust you a lot to let you call him that."

"Oh, well, in that case, I'm honored." Belle smiled at him, and he smiled back. Gold could tell she truly cared about his son, which came as somewhat of a surprise. Because of Melena, Baden hadn't trusted grown women that much; not even his teacher or Mrs. Lucas, Gold's secretary. Yet now, not only did he trust a woman, but she cared for him in return. Gold had never thought he would live to see the day when that happened.

"What happened?" Killian yelled as he ran up toward them, having made it to shore.

"He's tied up," Gold informed the teen, who smiled triumphantly.

"Yes! Awesome!" Then, Killian thought more about the situation. "So, what are we going to do about him?"

"Nothing, for now," Gold said. "Before we do anything else, I want to see my son."

* * *

**Author's Note: I want to thank everyone who is reading my story, especially those who review. It means a lot to me that you took time to tell me what you think. I also want to thank my beta-readers, VyeLoyomBrightwarrior and my mom. They are amazing, and catch everything I miss. I am glad you all enjoy my story.**

**Sorry about this note being in the wrong spot, I didn't catch that at first.**


	11. Chapter 11

David pulled into the only thing that resembled a hotel in the tiny town, a small and quaint Bed and Breakfast. He looked at his wife, who was already plastering on the look of someone who was happily on vacation with their husband, instead of someone who was on a very dangerous rescue mission.

"Are you ready?" he asked. She nodded, smiling encouragingly at him. He sighed, before forcing on a smile as well, and hopping out of the van. Mary Margaret followed, and they both walked into the small building.

They had called ahead and made reservations, once they realized how small the establishment was. They had wanted to make sure someone would be there, and sure enough, an employee was sitting behind the counter. He stood when they entered, and smiled pleasantly at them.

"Hello, I'm Toby. Do you need help with your luggage?" he asked politely.

"No thanks, we've got it," David reassured him.

"Alright then, right this way," Toby said, before walking down a short hallway, with only four rooms leading off. He handed David a card key once they got there. "This will be your room. Enjoy your stay, and if you need anything while you are here, just call the number you called to make your reseveration."

"Alright, thank you so much," Mary Margaret said, smiling at the man. He nodded, and then walked back toward the front of the building.

David and Mary Margaret entered the room, and put their luggage down. The room was huge, and they even had a living room and kitchen connected to it, just in case they wanted to cook. It was more like renting a nice apartment than staying in a hotel. However, they had more important things to worry about than how wonderful the room was.

"Alright, so what's the plan?" David asked his wife. She had initiated the mission, so he hoped that she had an idea of how to go about it.

"Well, we should go out to dinner and enjoy ourselves. Make it seem like we really are here for a lovely vacation. Then, tonight, we'll go investigate. We'll see if the boy and woman are in the cabin, and then we'll go from there."

"Sounds like a plan," David agreed, as he usually did. Then, he smiled, put an arm around his wife's shoulders, and headed out to discover a wonderful restaurant in the quaint little town.

* * *

"Papa!" Bae yelled before running up and tackling him in a hug. Mr. Gold had barely enough time to get on his knees and spread his arms out before Baden hit into him. He groaned in pain and relief as his son held onto him tightly.

"I love you Bae," he said, tears slipping past his eyelids without him trying to stop them. He didn't care that his son was pressing firmly on his injury, and his leg was killing him from his kneeling position on the floor. All he cared about was that his son was back, safe with him.

"I love you too, Papa." The small family stayed like that for several minutes, on the ground, holding on tight to each other to ensure the other was safe. While they did, Killian whispered to Belle that he was going to get the doctor, and left. Belle didn't want to intrude on their moment, but she couldn't help but watch. It warmed her heart to see how much they cared about each other.

"Papa," Bae said after a minute or two.

"Yes, son?" he asked.

"Could you read _Guess How Much I Love You _to me?" he asked hopefully. He knew it wasn't night time, but he really missed his father reading the story to him, and he wanted to hear it. It would let him know that his Papa wasn't going to leave anytime soon.

"Well, son, I don't have the book with me." Baden's face started to fall, and before the situation could get any worse, Gold continued. "However, I bet I can remember how it goes."

Baden perked up, and waited for his father to continue. "Let's see, I think you start."

"Oh, yeah," Bae agreed. Belle was confused for a second, wondering if they took turns reading the book, when Baden started. "Guess how much I love you."

"Oh, I don't think I could guess that," Gold said, smiling at his son.

"This much," Baden said, stretching out his arms as wide as they would go. Belle realized that they must act out the book, and watched the scene unfold before her.

"But I love you this much." Robert stretched out his arms as far as he could, and Baden grinned.

"Well, I love you as high as I can reach," Baden said, standing on his tip toes and reaching his hands far above his head.

Gold started to get up, so he could do the same, but he started to fall. Belle caught him, and he looked at her in surprise as she helped him to his feet. "Keep going," she encouraged when he just stared at her.

"Yes, right. I love you this much." He lifted up his arms, but was unable to ignore Belle's, which were wrapped tightly around his chest and above the gunshot wound.

Baden had been scared for his Papa when he started to fall, but if Belle thought it was alright for him to be standing up, then it probably was. He walked over to the wall of the secret hideout, and flipped upside down, so his feet were propped against the wall. "I love you up to my toes."

Robert propped himself against the wall, and mouthed 'spin him around by his hands,' to Belle. She smiled, and obliged.

Baden giggled as he flew above Belle's head. "I love you up to your toes," Robert told his son, smiling as he watched Belle interact with his precious boy.

Baden giggled, and Belle set him down sooner than he would have liked. However, he continued with the story. "I love you as high as I can hop," he said, and started to bounce up and down. Soon, Belle joined in beside him.

"I love you as high as Belle can hop," Robert said. Baden was trying to remember the next line when Belle picked him up and held him as she hopped. He giggled, and whished his father could join in, but he knew that he wasn't well enough to. However, that didn't stop him from enjoying the game with Belle. Robert watched, smiling. He was truly glad his son trusted another grownup besides himself to play with him like this. Belle was the first one Baden trusted this much besides himself, and he was glad Melena hadn't ruined this for his son.

It took a few minutes after Belle set him down for Bae to cease his giggling.

"Uh, I love you across the lake," he said. In the book it was to the river, but they weren't near a river, so he thought that would work better.

"Well, I love you across the lake, through the woods, and all the way to our house," he said, and Baden smiled. Then, a yawn escaped the young boy. He had had a stressful and physically exhausting day, and was more tired than he wanted to reveal.

"I love you to the moon," he said though a yawn as Belle picked him up and gently placed him on the cot. "Both of you," he added as he slipped off into sleep.

"We love you to the moon, and back," Gold finished as Belle pulled a blanket over the now sleeping boy. She was shocked that both of them had included her in their special bedtime ritual, and deeply touched.

"Thank you," she said to Robert, smiling and the beginnings of joyful tears forming in her eyes.

"I thought we said we were done with those, dearie," he reminded her, but he was smiling as well.

"You should be laying down." Belle and Robert turned toward the door, where Dr. Hopper was standing, looking concerned. Robert nodded and lay down in the only cot next to his son, as Archie went over to see what damage his patient had caused to his already critical wound.

"What did I miss," Killian asked Belle as she watched Hopper and Robert.

"Not much," she said, wiping the remaining joyful tears from her eyes. "Now, let's go retrieve Shepard, before he escapes." Killian nodded, and stepped onto the raft. Belle took one last look at the little boy she loved and his kind father before following the teen onto the raft. She was ready to go hunt a kidnapper.

* * *

**Author's Note: Toby is not a character from OUAT. I just needed someone to run the Bed and Breakfast, so I created someone to do that.**

**Also, I do not own _Guess How Much I Love You_. It is an amazing book, but it isn't mine.**


	12. Chapter 12

"Are you sure you're okay to do this?" Killian asked Belle as they sailed across the lake toward the shore. Belle looked down at herself, realizing that she didn't exactly look like a picture of health. Her arms and knees were still skinned, even though they were well on the mend. She had a black eye, and several tiny scratches on her skin and clothes from running through the forest. Of course, the teen could be referring to having just been imprisoned for days, as well.

"Yes. We need to get this man behind bars, sooner rather than later." The teen nodded, and they lapsed into silence. Killian was focusing on steering his raft, and Belle was lost in thought. She had just realized that her father was most likely worried sick about her, and she should let him know she was okay as soon as possible.

Soon, Killian was pulling the raft a shore. "Alright, let's go get this idiot," the teen suggested.

Belle smiled, happy about his enthusiasm. "Let's go," she agreed, and the two of them made their way into the forest.

* * *

Shepard groaned as he woke up. His head was throbbing, and he was tied to a tree. It took him a moment to remember what had happened, but the second he did, anger started to course through him. They had escaped! Not only that, but his son was still alive, after Melena had assured him that Robert was dead. And, Joe Jones' boy had helped them escape.

"Speaking of the devils," he said once he caught sight of his two employees walking toward him.

Melena could tell he was angry with them, and knew she would have to disperse that anger before they untied him, or his wrath would fall on them. "Look, we're not the ones who let them escape. That's all on you," she reminded him.

"But you are the ones who were supposed to kill my son!" he yelled, struggling to break free, but unable too.

"He's alive?" Melena asked in shock.

"Yeah, he is, thanks to that little brat of yours," Shepard spat, directing the comment at Joe. The man's face instantly went dark.

"Don't worry, Kyle will pay heavily for this," he promised. "Wait," he said, thinking through recent events. "Dr. Hopper must be in on this as well. He said my kid is helping him with medical stuff, so I haven't seen much of Kyle. It started after we shot Gold, so the doctor must know about this as well."

"Good, then we'll get him, too," Shepard growled. Then, Melena moved to untie him. Now, he seemed angry at others, and it was less likely he would try to hurt them. As the three headed back to the cabin, Shepard gave his orders.

"We'll get whoever we can, but start with the doctor. He's our only opponent that the police might actually listen too." They continued walking into the trees, all three of them dreaming of revenge and the death of their enemies.

* * *

Dr. Hopper had finished tending to his patient, who was now sleeping peacefully beside his son. Killian had filled him in on the relationship on their way over. Having nothing to do, Archie watched the two sleep. They looked so sweet together, and the doctor found himself wishing he had a closer relationship with his parents. They had been disappointed in him when he had decided that he didn't want to con anyone anymore. He sighed, saddened by thinking about them, and how they would never approve of him unless he became a con man, like they were.

Then, Killian and Belle walked in, looking worried. "What is it?" Archie asked, standing up. The two exchanged a look, before Killian filled him in.

"Shepard escaped. We got back to where we had left him, tied up, but he wasn't there anymore."

The doctor nodded, taking it in. "Well, does he need to be captured yet?" They were both pretty certain that he did, but the let the doctor explain his thought process. "I mean, he's only after Baden, and he can't find the boy while he stays here. Also, they don't know I'm involved. We'll wait until Mr. Gold is doing a bit better, and then I can take you all back to the city, and you can tell the police what happened. Then Shepard and his men will be arrested, and everyone will be safe."

Belle thought about it, and she had to admit, it sounded like a good plan. As long as Shepard didn't discover their location between now and then, everything should go smoothly.

"Okay," Killian agreed. "But, I've got to stay here unless I'm using the raft to get you, because Shepard saw me too."

"Alright, that's fine," Hopper agreed. Then, they all decided they should get some sleep, even though it was only dinnertime. Killian and Hopper left, with Killian promising to return after he had dropped the doctor off and Archie promising to bring them food in the morning.

Soon, the secret hideout was silent, except for the peaceful breathing of Gold and Baden on the cot. Belle watched them, overjoyed that Bae was finally reunited with his Papa. She planned on staying up until Killian returned, but the day had been stressful and exhausting, and before she knew it, she was drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Archie walked up to the door of his house and fumbled to find the right key on his key ring. He was planning on grabbing something to eat from the pantry before going to bed. He was mentally exhausted from coming up with creative ways to help heal a gunshot wound without modern technology. While he loved the challenge, he didn't love putting his patient in danger, but he didn't …

Dr. Hopper froze, his hand finally on the right key, as he felt something being pressed firmly into his back.

"You better come with me, doctor, if you want to live," a voice sneered behind him. Seeing no other option, Archie complied. The attacker stayed behind him, and kept the weapon at his back, so he had no idea who was doing this. Soon, they reached Shepard's cabin, and he was shoved in. The door closed and locked ominously, before the man walked around Archie to join his companions, who were looming over him.

Now able to get a good look at the man, Archie realized that Joe had captured him, and Melena, his girlfriend, was there. He had only seen Shepard a few times from a distance, but he was sure the other man must be the kidnapper.

"What do you want with me?" he asked, trying and failing to keep the fear out of his voice.

"Where are they?" Shepard asked. "Tell us where Baden, Robert, Belle, and Kyle are."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Archie lied, and Melena punched him in the gut. He doubled over, crying out in pain.

"Let's try that again," Shepard said in a pleasant voice, and the doctor got a sinking feeling that this was going to be a very long night.


	13. Chapter 13

David and Mary Margaret walked into the bed and breakfast, returning from dinner and laughing at some joke David had said. As soon as they entered the building, however, the laughter stopped abruptly.

"I think we did a good job of fooling everyone into thinking that we are a normal couple," David remarked.

His wife smiled. "Well, we are," she teased gently. He was about to object, when she continued. "Yes, I know you meant that no one thinks we are here on a rescue mission. I just had to say it."

"Alright," David said as they reached their room. He unlocked the door, and they went in. She picked up the bow and arrows she had brought. She had always been a good hunter with them, and in fact, it was Graham who had taught her how to use the weapon as a young girl. Her husband holstered Graham's spare gun, which he was letting David use for this mission.

"You ready," David asked. Mary Margaret nodded, and soon they snuck out of the hotel, and into the woods. They had a little boy and woman to rescue.

* * *

Archie kneeled on the ground, trying to force through the pain that was engulfing him. He couldn't betray his friends, but he had to get the pain to stop. He didn't think he could take another hit without blacking out or giving in.

"Where are they!?" Shepard yelled. He was losing his patience. The doctor was covered in bruises and had several broken bones, which had been the first part of his punishment. Then, Joe had pulled out an horse whip, and they had used that on him. He had several nasty cuts from that, the worst being on his back. His lip was bleeding from one of the punches, and he was covered in blood. Shepard couldn't believe Archie could last this long, but he did find it rather ironic that the doctor was in such bad shape.

Archie breathed, trying to think of a solution that didn't end up with him dead or his friends in trouble. Then, the solution that had been eluding him all night finally popped into his head. "Fine," he said, right as Shepard was about to hit him yet again. "Alright, I'll tell you," he said, easily making himself sound desperate for the pain to stop, because he was. "They're hiding in Joe's hunting cabin."

"No way," the criminal objected. "There's no way they'd be that stupid." Why would they hide from their enemies in a building they owned?

"No, they thought you wouldn't look there," Archie lied, and he could tell they were buying it. He was close to the breaking point, so they had no reason to believe he wasn't telling the truth.

"Alright, go check it out," Shepard ordered, and his two criminals obliged, leaving the cabin. Then, the crazy kidnapper walked over toward Archie, with a rope in his hands. "If you're lying to me, you will regret it with every fiber of you being." Archie nodded, to say he understood, but he felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He didn't think he could survive the second round of torture that would inevitably come later.

Shepard tied his prisoner's hands together behind his back, tightly enough that the rope cut into his skin. He cried out again, and could feel that his voice was getting hoarse. Then, Shepard gagged him, and tossed him in the basement. He heard the click of the lock above him, and he knew that escape was impossible. He was doomed.

* * *

Killian returned to his hideout, to find everyone sleeping peacefully. Mr. Gold and his son were on the cot, and Belle was sleeping propped up in the chair. The captain wished he had more fully furnished his hideout, but since he was the only one that ever went there, he only had one of everything, which left nowhere comfortable for him to sleep. Finally, the boy decided to sleep on the raft. After all, all good pirate captains needed to sleep on their ships at least once in their lives.

He actually found it rather soothing. The waves that gently rocked the raft also affected him, and soon, he was fast asleep, the waves washing away all the troubles of the day.

* * *

David waited in the shadows, watching the cabin and wishing his wife would return soon. She was scouting things out and making sure the cost was clear, since she was much better at sneaking around than he was. She and Graham had always had sneaking games when they were young, and thus both were excellent at it. David, on the other hand, had never needed to practice stealth. Instead, he had wrestled and 'sword-fought' with sticks.

"David," Mary Margaret whispered, making him jump. She'd snuck up on him, like she was rather good at. Somehow, he never spotted her coming. "The kidnapper's in the house, but he's asleep. Now's the time." David nodded, and followed her toward the cabin.

She opened the door easily, without letting it squeak, and was already halfway across the room by the time David had gently shut the door. She was so much better at this than him, easily gliding across the floor while searching for a place where he could hide two people. David, on the other hand, felt clumsy; every time he moved he could hear the floorboards creak underneath him. Then, Mary Margaret froze in the middle of the room, and bent down to feel the floor. She grinned over at David, and he could see her white teeth flash in the darkness. She must have found a trapdoor.

She started to pick the lock when a light came on under the bedroom door. David froze, but his wife ran quietly to the door and slipped out without making a sound. He moved to follow her, when his phone started to ring. _Why didn't I silence that_, he thought before answering. The kidnapper had heard him anyway, he decided he should see who needed to get ahold of him so late at night.

"David," a voice said at the other end of the phone as the door opened and the kidnapper held a gun at him. "I have to confess to you, I did something really stupid. Maybe you can help me out of it?"

"Sure, can this wait til tomorrow?" he asked, staring down the attacker.

"Sure thing, David. I'll let you get back to sleep." Then, the man on the other end hung up, and the veterinarian found himself staring down the barrel of a gun, wondering how he was going to work his way out of this one.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: I'm about to start college, so the updates might come slower, but I will continue to write this story, I promise.**

* * *

"James, what are you doing in my cabin?" the kidnapper questioned, lowering the gun with a puzzled look on his face.

David really wanted to call his twin back and yell at him for getting involved with a kidnapper and not warning him, but instead, he forced on his twin's cocky grin. "Well, I wanted to see what my job helped you do," he said, perfectly mimicking his brother's actions. When you are best friends with someone for your whole life, it isn't that hard to impersonate them.

"Well, unfortunately, the boy I had you help kidnap …" Shepard kept talking, but David didn't hear what he said due to pure rage. His brother had kidnapped a five-year-old boy! James was so in for it next time they talked.

Then, the kidnapper was looking at him, expecting him to say something. "Sorry, I missed that last part. I was thinking about the phone call I just caught," he admitted, still in that cocky tone.

"Well, I said that the boy and woman escaped, but I captured someone who knows where they are. I should have them back soon. Do you want to help me again? I still have that dirt on Jack, you know …," he threatened.

Of course! James had only done this because of his supposed love for Jack, who was always getting herself in trouble. Now, he was feeling guilty about it, which was why he had called David in the middle of the night. At least this time his brother's crime had a positive effect; it gave David a chance to rescue the boy.

"Sure, I'll help. How much money are we talking about?" he asked, to keep his cover.

"Depends on how much help you are."

"Ballpark it for me," David said, leaning against the counter like James probably would. He looked totally at ease, while his heart hammered crazily inside his chest.

"Oh, I don't know. Let's say …" Just then, Melena and Joe stormed in, and neither of them looked happy.

"The stupid doctor lied," Melena said, before she caught sight of David, and then her scowl deepened, if that was possible. "Who's this?"

"This is James Nolan. He helped me procure the boy, and he's going to help some more now," Shepard informed them.

"Great, you can throw the first punch, and give us all a break," Melena suggested, heading toward the trapdoor.

"Uh, I'm not exactly that type of help," David informed her, and she rounded on him, looking livid.

"Then what are you good for?"

He gave her a charming grin. "Tricking the enemy into thinking they can trust me. Why do you think that the officers didn't catch the truck?" he asked. He hoped he was getting James' role in the kidnapping correct, because if not, he would be in huge trouble. However, his twin had pulled a stunt like this before that had landed him a year in jail, so David was acting on a pretty good hunch. "I got the nearest police car distracted. I was talking to them, and they didn't even hear their radios go off until it was too late."

When Shepard didn't object, David knew he'd gotten the story right. "So, if you need me to distract or trick someone, I'm your man. If not, then I'm sorry, but you'll have to handle it."

She looked very unhappy, but apparently decided not to take it out on him. She unlocked the basement and pulled the doctor to the surface, and it took all of David's willpower to keep the cocky grin on his face. The man looked like he'd been beaten to a pulp, and the terror in his eyes was almost more than the vet could stand. He could barely stand when one of the animals he treated was in that condition, none the less a human being.

"Doctor Hopper, I thought I told you that you'd regret lying to me," Shepard said calmly, before he punched the man so hard that he was knocked out of Melena's firm grip. He fell to the floor, and David could hear a muffled yell escape through the gag. Then, Joe ripped the gag off his face, so he could speak.

"I can't tell you," he croaked, his voice sore from yelling. "I won't let you get to my friends." David couldn't help but admire the man's bravery and loyalty in the face of such deadly opponents. "I'll never tell you."

Shepard sighed. "That's what I was afraid of," he commented, before turning to Joe. "Take him out into the woods, and kill him. Slowly. Make sure it's close enough so that we can hear his dying screams." A twisted smile of pleasure formed on Joe's lips. He grabbed the man by the back of his shirt and dragged him out the door. David had to think of a way to save the man, and fast.

"I think I'll go watch," he said and headed toward the door.

"I didn't think you liked violence, James," Shepard said, and he froze in his tracks. If they found out … "I'm glad we're rubbing off on you. Go have fun." David let out in inaudible sigh of relief before following Joe out.

…

Mary Margaret had been terrified for her husband's life, so naturally, she was shocked when he swaggered out of the cabin as if he had belonged there all his life. She had been debating whether to go rescue the injured man or wait for her husband, but now she guessed she could do both.

"What happened?" she asked, falling into step with him as they followed Joe and Archie.

"They think I'm James," he said, and that was all the explanation she needed. James had trouble staying on the good side of the law. He never tried to hurt anyone, but always managed to get himself in terrible situations that David had to dig him out of. Obviously, James had managed to get tangled with this kidnapping gang, but that might actually work for their advantage.

David motioned for her to stay in the shadows as they approached the injured man and his executioner. He, however, stepped into the light. "Hey, can I watch?" he asked the other man as Mary Margaret snuck up behind the unsuspecting bully.

"Sure. Watch and learn, and then maybe you can help torture the next guy." Joe moved to kick Archie in the gut, but then Mary Margaret's fist collided with his head, and he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"Come on, we've got to get you out of here," Mary Margaret said, helping Archie to his feet. His hands were still tied behind his back, so it took an effort for him to stand. "Where should we go to keep you safe?"

Archie decided he could trust her. After all, she had just saved his life. "The grove of trees near the dock on the lake. Someone will come there in the morning to pick me up," he said, hating how raspy his voice sounded.

"Perfect, that always works," Archie turned around in horror, to see Shepard and Melena standing there, both with guns pointed at them.

"Glad you approve," David said, hating the look of betrayal the doctor was shooting his way. If they were going to have any chance at surviving, he was going to have to bluff he way out of this.

"So, is she with you, or …"

"Yeah, she's with me," David quickly reassured them. He didn't want his wife to have to go through what the doctor had. "We make a great team."

Mary Margaret was unready for the sudden acting, but she adjusted quickly. "Don't we?" she agreed, grinning at David.

"Wait, but isn't that your brother's wife?" Shepard questioned.

This guy knows way too much for me to be comfortable with him, David thought. "Yeah, but we just started having an affair. She thinks I kiss better than David, don't you, honey?"

In the dark, Melena and Shepard missed the quick glare that Mary Margaret sent at David, but he caught it. She was going to kill him later for making her pretend to cheat on him. "Of course you do! You're so much better than that liar!" she exclaimed, and he felt himself blush slightly. Since when did tricking criminals so you could stay alive count as lying? "He's most likely cheating with someone himself," she said, and David thought that was going a bit far, but he didn't say anything.

"Alright then," Shepard said, buying the lie. "Ladies, would you bring Archie back to the basement? Since we know where they are, I'd like him to watch those he was defending die before we kill him." Mary Margaret and Melena jumped to obey him, and soon they were dragging a distraught and defeated doctor back to his prison. "James, carry Joe inside. I know you needed to knock him out for your plan to succeed, but that doesn't mean that you don't owe him, big time." David nodded, but as soon as Shepard was out of sight, he called his brother.

"You helped kidnap a little kid?!" he yelled as soon as James picked up.

"How did you know what I needed to get off my chest?" James asked innocently, and David thought it was a good thing the idiot wasn't there, because otherwise he would probably be punching him in the face.

"Because my wife's brother was on the case, and long story short, the kidnapper thinks I'm you. Next time, don't agree to work for an insane kidnapper! Don't work for any more criminals at all!"

"Look, I'm sorry, but he had dirt on Jack," James tried to defend himself.

"Let Jack worry about herself! I'm not letting you go back to prison for her. Got it?" There was silence on the other end of the phone, before James agreed.

"Good. When I'm done with this, you are going to be in so much trouble," he said before hanging up and carrying Joe toward the cabin. James was going to have to answer for his part in the pain he'd caused, and David would make sure that happened.

…

He lay the unconscious criminal on the bed in the guest room of the cabin, before walking out to join the others. His wife and Melena had already locked the doctor back in the basement, after gagging him again.

"So, what now?" he asked casually, not sitting down like the other three but leaning propped against the wall, trying to look cool and care free.

"I want you and Melena to go to the grove of trees and capture whoever was going to pick him up. Go now, in case he comes early. Your brother's wife can stay here and keep me company until Joe wakes up." Shepard wanted him to leave Mary Margaret in his hands! David hated the idea, but knew he didn't really have a choice if he wanted to keep up the act. Besides, she could handle herself, even without a gun. She had her bow and a knife, and that was more than enough for her to defend herself with.

"Sure, let's go," he said casually, before following the lady out of the cabin.

As soon as they were gone, Shepard turned his attention to Mary Margaret. "So, do you want to play Operation?"

* * *

Belle woke up and rubbed her neck. Sleeping in a chair wasn't exactly the most comfortable position, and she had a feeling she'd be sore all day. Oh well, if that was the price she had to pay for being free from Shepard, that she figured she'd gotten a great deal. She looked over, and saw that both Baden and his father were still sleeping peacefully. She smiled and watched them, glad they were back together were they belonged.

Just then, Killian walked in, and smiled when he saw she was awake. He walked over to her, and started whispering. "How'd you sleep?"

"Alright. I didn't have any nightmares for the first time since this all began. What about you?"

"I slept surprisingly well. It's amazing how comfortable my raft is." Then, he decided to get down to business. "I need to go pick up the doctor," he said. He'd been waiting until someone woke up to leave, so they wouldn't think he'd abandoned them or something. He was actually running a few minutes late. He hoped Dr. Hopper wouldn't worry about him.

"Alright, we'll be here," Belle told him, and the teen left. As soon as he was gone, Belle looked back at the father and son, and smiled to herself, wondering if someday she'd snuggle with her own children.

…

Melena rolled her eyes as the annoyingly charming James came back from his phone call. The man had insisted that he needed to take it, and he now seemed overly happy, so it was probably another girl that he hung out with when his brother's wife wasn't around. "Can you get your mind on the mission now!" she snapped, and he nodded, but her harsh words hadn't smacked the cocky grin off his face.

"Here someone comes," she warned a few minutes later, as a small raft made its way toward the trees they were hiding in. As it pulled closer, she recognized the sole passenger as Joe's kid. She smiled to herself, and couldn't wait to see what Joe was going to do to the little troublemaker.

Soon, Killian had pushed the raft ashore, and headed toward the trees. He assumed that since Archie hadn't come down to meet him, the doctor must be running late. He couldn't have been more wrong, and he realized this the second Melena stepped out from behind a tree, pointing a gun at him. "Stay still kid, or you'll be eating lead," she warned.

He froze, and felt all of the bravery desert him as he changed from Killian to Kyle in less than half a second. David felt sorry for the young teen, but he still hadn't gotten a good opportunity to take Melena out. "James, tie him up. Then we'll bring him back to the cabin, and he'll face his father."

Kyle felt the remaining color start to fade out of his face as the man forced his hands behind him. He was going to have to face his dad soon, and he had a feeling it was going to be a less than pleasant encounter.

* * *

Mary Margaret had played Operation with him many times over the course of the night, and had come to two conclusions. Number one, this man was obsessed with the game, and two, he was completely insane. He'd gotten enraged and gleeful over the smallest things, and it had been hard for her to keep Shepard in check, but somehow, she'd managed to keep the kidnapper from hurting her.

"You know," he said, after purposely killing the patient yet again, "we really should check on our prisoner."

"Good idea," she agreed, mostly so he wouldn't have one of his crazy mood swings again.

"Why don't you bring him up here?" Shepard suggested, and she had no choice but to comply.

She walked down into the basement, and saw that the doctor was already awake. _ Thank goodness I don't have to wake him up._ She pulled him to his feet, trying to ignore the red all over his white shirt, and forced him out of his prison as gently as she could while keeping her cover as an evil criminal.

"You know, I'm bored," Shepard told her as soon as Archie was kneeling at his feet, and Mary Margaret couldn't help but think that was a very bad thing. "I know I wanted him to suffer by watching his friends die, but maybe I should just …" As he talked, he started to pull out his gun, and there was no way she was letting him kill the poor man. So, before either man realized what was happening, Mary Margaret had her knife out and at the neck of the insane kidnapper.

"No one dies," she said, and his eyes narrowed. He'd misjudged her, and apparently, so had James.

Then, the bedroom door started to creak open as Joe finally woke up. Reacting quickly, Mary Margaret knocked Shepard out with the hilt of her knife and threw it, so that right as the door was fully open the hilt also hit Joe in the head. "I should have done that sooner," she said out loud, relieved to be able to stop acting. She retrieved her knife, and cut the doctor's hands free before untying the gag.

"Are you alright?" she asked him, even though she knew it was a stupid question.

"I am now," he told her. Archie was glad to finally be free, and that his initial impression of this woman had been right.

Since the doctor said he was okay for now, Mary Margaret tied the two men up and tossed them unceremoniously into the basement. They deserved any bruises they received from that after what they'd done to the doctor. "Two down, one to go," she told Archie. She had no idea that it would take a lot more than the hilt of a knife to defeat the final opponent.


	15. Chapter 15

Mary Margaret left Archie on the couch as she searched the house for a first aid kit. She finally found what she was looking for under the sink in the bathroom. She walked back out, ready to bandage up the worst of his wounds, to find Melena standing there with a gun at Archie's head, scowling at her.

"You know, James, you really should be careful who you trust," she said as David walked through the door with Kyle. He'd been behind her due to having to make sure the teen didn't escape, and was shocked to see the situation occurring inside the cabin. "You shouldn't have betrayed us." Melena moved the gun from Archie's head, and pointed it at Mary Margaret.

"No!" David yelled, right before she pulled the trigger. Melena looked over, confused, to see who she'd assumed was her ally pointing his gun at her. "If you shoot that man or my wife …"

"You're wife?" she asked, realization dawning on her. This man wasn't having an affair with his brother's wife, he was the brother! They'd been tricking them this whole time, and now the two of them were going to pay.

Realizing that no one was paying any attention to him, Kyle slipped out of his bonds and out the door. Dr. Hopper needed help, and he hoped Mr. Gold would know what to do.

David noticed the boy leave, as was relieved that he would be safe, unlike the other people still in the cabin. Melena's gun was pointing at the doctor's head again, but at least David had his weapon pointed at her. All he needed was a big enough distraction to take her out.

Mary Margaret started to inch toward her bow, which was laying just out of reach on the table. Melena applied pressure on one of Archie's wounds, and he cried out. "Try anything again and he'll be in even more pain," she threatened. Mary Margaret froze. Then, there was nothing left to do but stare down each other, as they waited for something to break someone's concentration. All it would take was one slip up, and the other person would have the upper hand. One mistake would determine the victor, and both David and Melena were determined not to be the one who slipped up.

* * *

Belle woke up to Killian shaking her awake, fear in his eyes. Robert and Baden were already awake, and the father was trying to calm his son down. Apparently, Killian had some bad news.

"Dr. Hopper got caught, and we have to go rescue him now."

"No," Gold said, straightening up. "You're not coming with us, Killian. I need you to watch my boy, and stay here. Belle and I will go save the doctor."

Wondering how on earth they were going to pull this off, Belle agreed with him. "Don't worry, we'll rescue the doctor and be back before you know it," she said. There was no way Belle was putting Killian and Bae in any more danger.

The young teen wanted to protest, and come with them, but someone needed to watch Baden. Plus, they seemed to be confident that they could do it. "Alright, fine," Killian agreed, but Baden couldn't be so easily swayed.

"No, Papa!" the young boy yelled, running over and hugging him. He'd just gotten his father back, and didn't want to lose him again. He started to cry as he held on to his father's legs, wanting to keep the firm grip on him forever.

"Don't worry, Bae, I'll be back before you know it," he assured his son, hoping that what he was saying would turn out to be the truth.

Bae knew his father always told the truth, but he looked up at him with tear stained eyes. "And Belle too? She'll come back with you?"

"Belle will come back too," Robert assured his son. He gave him one final hug before standing up and walking over to Belle. "Let's go."

Soon, Belle was steering the raft toward the shore, and Robert was sitting quietly beside her, wishing he could be more help, but his injury was holding him back. "So, what's the plan?" Belle asked him.

"I guess we'll find out when we get there." Belle was surprised that he didn't have a plan, but then realized that she shouldn't be, because she didn't even know him well enough to know if he was a good planner.

Robert was glad she accepted his answer as they anchored the raft at the docks, and the few people walking by stared at them, wondering who they were and what they were doing with Kyle's raft. None of the spectators asked them questions as they headed up toward the cabin, ready to rescue Dr. Hopper in whatever way was necessary.

…

David's eyes flickered to the doorway as it opened, but moved right back to his opponent when he realized the newcomers were on his side.

Melena was furious to see her former husband and the kidnapped girl there, not because she didn't want to capture them, but because he had come with her. She, Melena, was supposed to be the only one who could control him, not some little brat that happened to be their child and not some woman he'd just met.

Sensing her anger, and seeing David was ready to take her out at a second's notice, Belle all of a sudden had the perfect plan. She hoped Robert would forgive her as she gently turned his head down toward her.

Wondering what she had to say, Robert looked down at her. He was totally unprepared for the kiss she planted on his lips. It was passionate, and shocking. He had no idea what to do, so he just stood there, letting her kiss him but not kissing her back. They hadn't even hugged yet, but they were already kissing. He had no idea what to make of it.

Melena, however, knew exactly what to make of it, and she wasn't going to let Belle control her former husband so easily. She pulled the gun away from Archie's head, and aimed it at the woman smooching the man she'd struggled to control.

There was a loud gunshot, and Melena dropped the gun as a searing pain flared through her hand. Mary Margaret picked up the gun and pulled Archie away from her before she could recover. David was grinning, glad his enemy had slipped up and everyone would be safe.

Robert was still in shock as Belle pulled away from him, her cheeks bright red. "Sorry, it's just that I had to distract her, and …"

"It's fine," he reassured her, trying not to touch his lips where hers had just been. "We got her, that's what mattered."

Belle nodded, glad he understood that it had been strictly business, and nothing more. Although, as she turned her attention to Mary Margaret tying up the criminal, she couldn't help but hope that he was every bit the man she thought he was, and someday, he'd kiss her with real passion equal to the fake passion she'd kissed him with.

Soon, Melena was in the basement with her partners in crime, and Mary Margaret was attempting to patch Archie up with the first aid kit.

"Would you call the police?" Robert asked David once they'd shared a little information about themselves. "I need to go get my boy."

"Don't worry, the police are already on their way," David said with a grin. "I already called them. They should be here soon."

"Really, when did you have time to call the police?" his wife asked as she put disinfectant on another one of the doctor's wounds, and he hissed in pain.

"Well, it was while Melena and I were waiting in the grove of trees.

* * *

**Earlier that morning …**

James heard his phone ring, and considered ignoring it, until he saw that it was his brother. "Hey, David, are you okay? Is …"

"Look, James, just listen. I don't have much time. Do you have concrete evidence of who pulled off the kidnapping mission?"

"Uh, yeah. It incriminates me, as well as Shepard and some of his cronies. Why?"

"During that tape, to they mention an Officer Hunter?"

Annoyed that his brother wasn't answering his questions, James none the less answered. "Yeah, they said he'd probably be the one to get the case, and he was a good officer. They talk about possibly needing to frame him at some point."

"Perfect! Now, here's what I need you to do."

…

Graham was on his feet as soon as the door opened. He relaxed when he saw it was David, but when several police officers followed him in, he wasn't so sure that he should be at ease. He stood in front of Cora, her family and Emma, pulling out his gun. They stayed behind him, hoping everything was going to be alright.

"Officer Hunter, it has recently come to light that you were framed for the kidnapping," one of the men said.

"David, how did you prove my innocence?" Graham asked. He was totally lost. Where was Mary Margaret, and why was David here without her were some other questions he had.

"That's not Daddy, that's Uncle James," Emma informed him. Her father and uncle looked a lot alike, but she'd always been able to tell the differences between them.

"Yeah, that's right, and I told them since the whole kidnapping thing is your case, you're the only one I'd tell the location to. Of course, David said you already know where the boy was being held."

"Okay, but how …?" Graham started repeat, but James cut him off. David's twin explained that he'd helped in the kidnapping, even though he wasn't proud of it, and that he had the evidence needed to show Graham had nothing to do with the incident. He also said David had told him the location of the base, and that the Nolans needed their help to take down Shepard and his men.

"Well, then, what are we waiting for?" Graham asked, leaving the Mills and Emma in the hands of very capable officers before leading a team toward the location. He was finally going to finish the mission he'd started.


	16. Chapter 16

Bae, Gold, Belle, and Killian were focused on the game board, playing what Killian called "A cutthroat game of Candyland." Bae was simply thrilled not to be playing Operation again. Mary Margaret, David, and Archie were on the couch, where the doctor had fallen asleep after helping them bandage his wounds, and the couple were guarding the trapdoor, to make sure none of their prisoners escaped while they waited for help to arrive.

"Yay, I won again!" Bae exclaimed as his gingerbread man made it to the castle. "Who wants to play again?"

"Mate, can we please take a break? You've won nine out of the last ten. Let's play something else," Killian suggested.

"Like what?"

An almost evil looking grin spread across the teen's face. "Monopoly."

"He's five, and the game is for ages eight or older," Belle told Killian sternly. "Why don't we play something simpler, like Sorry?"

"Fine," Killian muttered. While he wanted to prevent the younger boy from winning yet again, he decided that Sorry was at least better than Candyland. Just as they finished setting up the board, there was a knock on the door. Everyone tensed, and David walked over to answer it, gun in hand.

He relaxed as soon as he saw who was on the other side. "Graham," he sighed with relief, glad Pan didn't have any more cronies to surprise them with. He let the officer and his men in. Mary Margaret got up from her position on the couch, and hugged her brother.

"Graham, it's so good to see you again."

He smiled and hugged her back. "I'm glad you're safe." Gold, Belle, Bae, and Killian relaxed as they realized these people were here to arrest Shepard and the others. In fact, Gold rose to show them the trapdoor the prisoners were under.

"Where's James?" David asked, wondering why his brother wasn't present.

"He's not an officer, so he had to stay behind," Graham informed his brother-in-law. Then, they jumped as Shepard started screaming.

"You won't keep me away from him forever. Bae will be mine, he can't escape from me!" He laughed crazily. Everyone felt slightly creeped out as the maniac was led to a police car, but Archie had it the worst. An insane rant might wake a person up rather quickly, but it certainly wasn't a preferred method. The doctor quickly got out of the officers' way as they led all three criminals out. Melena didn't say anything, but stared at Gold with obvious hatred. He held Bae close so he wouldn't have to see.

Joe, on the other hand, sneered at his son. "When I get out, you'll remember why you're so afraid of me," he threatened, laughing at the boy's terrified look. Belle hugged Killian close to her, so he'd know he was safe from his father. Soon, the criminals were out of the house, and everyone, including Killian and Archie, were headed back to the city. Killian needed to be put into the care of the state, and Archie needed to go to a hospital. Besides that, both of them needed to testify in court when the trials came around. It only took a few minutes for Dr. Hopper to fall back asleep again, and Killian, who was in the same car as the doctor, feigned sleep. He wasn't tired, but he didn't want to talk to the police offers, so for almost the entire ride, he kept his eyes closed, worried about his father's threat.

* * *

The first thing Moe did when he saw his daughter in the hospital was run up and give her a huge hug. "I'm so glad you're safe," he told her as he cried into her shoulder, and Belle found she was the one who had to comfort him.

Reunions were happening all throughout the hospital. Emma immediately ran up to her parents, and told them how proud she was of them for being heroes. The Mill family was talking to the Golds, all glad the others were safe. Soon, however, doctors were impatiently ushering them to different areas, reminding them that they weren't at the hospital for a family reunion.

Belle glanced at Robert as he was led to a separate room than her, and she wondered if she'd ever see him or his son again. She hoped so, she'd grown to love the small family.

* * *

Killian sat looking at the ground, slumped in the chair. There was no way he was going to cooperate with the woman; she kept insisting upon calling him Kyle. She said she was his social worker, and was going to try to find him a foster family. While anyone would be better than his father, he was really nervous about having to move, and her insistence of calling him Kyle only made it worse.

Finally, after she asked him why he wasn't excited about getting foster parents, he exploded. "I don't even know them! And, my name is Captain Killian Jones, for the final time!" Then, he ran out of the room, tears stinging his face even if he didn't fully understand why. He'd wanted to get away from his father for ages, and now that he had, he was crying to himself as he ran down the hallway. Surely, something must be wrong with him, he thought, which only made the tears come faster.

…

"Are you sure?" she asked him, and he looked her in the eye, so she'd know he was telling the truth.

"Positive," Archie answered, and then she handed over the papers. He went through, signing on all the dotted lines and carefully reading the rest of the document, not wanting to miss anything important. As soon as he was done, she reached out her hand to take the paperwork, but the psychiatrist shook his head. "I want to talk to him first."

She agreed, and left, Killian entering as soon as she was gone. He was sulking slightly, still annoyed at the reprimand the social worker had given him for running off. But honestly, what did she expect when she refused to call him by his name and forced foster parents on him without even asking what he thought of the entire situation?

"Hey, Killian, how are you?" Archie asked. Killian wanted to talk to him, and tell him how terrible he was feeling, but he didn't feel like he could. Not with Dr. Hopper lying in a hospital bed, covered in bruises. _Well, doctor, I feel terrible for getting rid of my father and having to live with nice people. I'm sure you feel wonderful, being covered in injuries and all._

"Fine. How are you?" Dr. Hopper gave him one of those piercing looks, like he could see into your soul and know you were lying. Killian hadn't expected that today; he wasn't having a session and the doctor wasn't feeling well. "Ok, I'm a little nervous about the whole foster parent thing," he admitted, looking down at his feet.

"Well, you know, it might not be that bad." Killian knew it. He shouldn't have brought up his feeling to a man who was just recovering from a near death experience.

"Yeah, it's just that I've never met them, I guess," he said, feeling terrible about his complaints.

"Well, you know, sometimes you only get one foster parent," Archie said.

"Yeah, she told me," Killian said. There was silence for a second, before Dr. Hopper's tone of voice sunk into the teen. "Wait, do you know someone who wants to be my foster parent?" he asked, hoping to get information from the doctor about what his new life would be like.

"No; I am someone who wants to be your foster parent." Killian looked at him, speechless, and he continued hastily, "If you want me to, that is."

"Of course I want you to be my dad," Killian exclaimed, hugging Archie. Relief flooded through the teen at the knowledge that he'd finally have a good home.

Archie felt relieved as well, that Killian would be safe, and he'd make up for all the years he'd suspected the boy's father was abusive and hadn't done anything about it.

* * *

David, Emma, and Mary Margaret had gone home almost immediately, taking Bae with them until Gold recovered, as had the Mills. Robert would be in the hospital for a while, due to the gunshot he'd sustained. Archie and Killian would be there for a little while longer as well, and Belle was so happy the psychiatrist had essentially adopted the teen. It was good for Killian to be with someone that already cared about him.

She was happy that everyone was alright and returning home, but a part of her couldn't help but think about Robert and Bae. She'd grown so close to them over the adventure, and while she already had Mary Margaret and Archie's phone numbers, she had yet to get one from him. She was afraid that he'd slip away before she got it, and she'd never see either him or his son again.

On the day she was going home, however, she ran into him in the hallway in front of the dining hall. They'd started talking, and somehow, though they'd never had a real conversation and knew next to nothing about each other, besides what they thought of Bae, they managed to stand there for hours. When Robert reluctantly turned to go back to his room, he seemed to realize something, and turned around, snatching a pen from a nurse walking by, and writing his number on her hand, so she could "stay in contact with Baden."

Belle watched him leave, happy she'd be able to get to know Baden and Robert better. It would be nice to see what Bae was like when he wasn't kidnapped, and what Robert was like when he wasn't wincing every two seconds due to his wound.

As Belle walked back to her room, to pack everything up so she could leave the hospital when her father came to get her, which would be any second now, she thought about how much they'd all been through, and grown.

And, she realized that she was glad that she'd been kidnapped. Not that she'd ever want it to happen again, or that she forgave Shepard (quite the contrary, actually). It was all the amazing people she'd met because she'd been brave enough to try to save a little boy's life. As her father came and took her home, she realized that she wouldn't trade her experience for the world. Not after meeting an amazing little boy, and becoming friends with his father.

* * *

**Author's Note: This is the end, guys. I really hope you enjoyed it.**


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